After a decade, curtains were drawn on one of the world’s biggest health intervention programmes that aimed at reducing HIV/AIDS in people who inject drugs, in Manipur and Nagaland.
Project Orchid, that was supported by Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has changed the perspective of drug users and successfully halted the spread of HIV in the last decade in the two north-eastern States.
Its community-led programme, that used local dynamics as a tool, had surprising results which not only halted the spread of HIV but also changed the lives of drug users in both the States.
According to the report “From Hills to Valleys: Avahans’ HIV prevention Programme among Injecting Drug users in North-East India” use of drugs was the major cause of HIV transmission.
“It is estimated that there are more than 62,000 injecting drug users. They represent between a quarter-and-a-half of all injecting drug users in India, even though these States account for less than four per cent of the country’s population. Injecting drug users may constitute 1.9 to 2.7 per cent of the adult population in these States,” states the report.
According to available statistics following HIV prevention interventions HIV prevalence among injecting drug users in Manipur has declined from 24.5 per cent in 2003 to 17 per cent in 2007 and in Nagaland from 8.4 per cent to 1.9 per cent over the same period.
According to Dr B langkham, Director, Project Orchid, the successful intervention among drug users in north eastern States has reduced the HIV infection and changed the lives of drug users.
He said, “The harm reduction model of project Orchid has successful in its intervention among drug users in Nagaland and Manipur. This is a great experiment where drug users have taken ownership of the project. They have moved up the scale from beneficiaries to project leaders has changed the whole scenario in these two States. This harm reduction model can be replicated anywhere in the world.”
Dr Atul Ambekar, Additional Professor, NDDTC at AIIMS, feels the Harm Reduction approach to deal with injecting drug users was more realistic, humane and oriented towards human rights of individuals.
He said, “In India harm reduction approach forms the corner stone of national approach dealing with the problem of HIV among injecting drug users. The intervention of Project Orchid has changed the profile of HIV among drug users in Nagaland and Manipur.”
For Dr Ibohanbi Singh, leader of the Opposition in Manipur, who is fighting drug abuse and HIV, says the Project Orchid’s intervention has changed the HIV scenario in Manipur.
He wants an organised political response and will to eradicate both HIV and drug use in the State.Project Orchid is part of Avahan India AIDS initiative funded by Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Avahan reaches 220,000 female sex workers, 80,000 men who have sex with men and transgenders, 18,000 injecting drug users in India.