Imphal, Feb. 1: The snowballing scourge of HIV/AIDS has finally become an election issue in Manipur, sharing space in poll manifestos with more discussed topics like insurgency, territorial integrity and the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act.

The main political parties — the Congress, the BJP and the Manipur People’s Party — have all put prevention and control of HIV/AIDS high on their agendas, marking a departure from the trend of omitting health issues from the priority list at election time.

The reason why HIV/AIDS has become one of the key electoral issues this time is obvious. Although it has a population of just about 24 lakh, Manipur ranks among the six states of the country where HIV/AIDS prevalence is the highest.

“We had organised a meeting with senior representatives of all political parties in October last year and requested them to make AIDS eradication an issue in their poll campaigns. It seems they have responded,” Pramod Kumar Singh, project director of the Manipur State AIDS Control Society, said.

Singh cited statistical data on HIV/AIDS to drive home the point that the political fraternity could no longer ignore it as an issue concerning only a fraction of the electorate. “Exactly 1.3 per cent of the population has tested HIV positive. If this does not set alarm bells ringing, nothing will.”

The first AIDS case in Manipur was detected in 1990. In the 17 years that have elapsed since, 558 people have died of the disease. That is truly alarming for a state with a small population.

“The numbers will swell unless the menace is fought on a war footing,” Singh said.

Of the 1,71,397 blood samples tested in the state till November 30 last year, as many as 24,608 tested positive for HIV. The list includes 5,677 women. “The preponderance of HIV in men is explained by the addiction to intravenous drugs, while among women it is mainly transmitted through sexual contact,” Singh said.

Manipur’s 358-km long border with Myanmar — mostly porous — is the route of choice for drug traffickers from the infamous Golden Triangle (trijunction of Myanmar, China and Thailand). No wonder drug addiction is rampant in a state that, ironically, also produces some of the best sportspeople in the country.

The 9,000-odd sex workers in the state are also potential HIV carriers. “There are no brothels in the state. The sex workers move from one place to another, spreading the virus. Although five NGOs are working to raise awareness about HIV/AIDS among the sex workers, the results have not been very encouraging,” Singh said.

The project director made another significant disclosure: homosexuality has grown at a fast rate in Manipur over the past decade and unsafe sex among this segment of the population has led to the spread of HIV.

On the positive side, AIDS-control committees have been established in every district. There are 35 blood-testing centres across the state, including ones at the block level. Apart from a full-fledged hospital, there are six community care centres run by NGOs for HIV/AIDS sufferers.

“As many as 78 NGOs are working for the eradicating of HIV/AIDS from the state. We have requested women’s organisations to conduct awareness programmes,” Singh said. The decline in the number of HIV positive cases among drug users is the primary gain of the AIDS-control campaign.

“In 1997, HIV-positive cases among intravenous drug users was 76.9 per cent. In 2005, it came down to 24 per cent,” Singh said.

Manipur spends Rs 25 crore annually on AIDS-control programmes.