KATHMANDU: The theme for World AIDS Day 2006 is ‘Stop AIDS: Keep the Pr-omise — Accountability’.

With 40 million people living with HIV/AIDS worldwide, both local and national governments have a crucial role to play in reversing the AIDS epidemic. There is need for peer and skill-based education in education centres and workplace to deal with HIV/AIDS.

According to the National Centre for HIV/ AIDS Control (NCASC), 179 new cases were reported in the month of October this year in Nepal among the tested cases. Prevention is the only way to check the rapid spread of AIDS.

Services like anti retro viral medicines started by government is not sufficient, while the medicine is costly. Those committed to working for PLWHA are also at risk. Till now no provision has been made for service providers. We may say there is no stigmatisation, but there is. The families of PLWHA need support too. As such a wide commitment is required from all political parties, government and INGO/NGOs. Prevention strategy and care and support programmes should go hand-in-hand.

Due to 11-year-old insurgency, the government has more focussed on resolving this issue, while the AIDS issue has been sidelined. The HIV/AIDS epidemic is a threat to our young population — tho-se between 20-29 years of age. Due to frequent migration and job seekers going out of the country, many have become infected. All development stakeholders should do something about this as our productive group is unneccesarily being eaten up by this virus.