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Battling AIDS an 'urgent national task": Vajpayee

AFP, New Delhi
Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee on Saturday said the battle against AIDS was an "urgent national task" and warned the disease had already reached alarming proportions in Africa and Asia.
The Indian premier also called on the international scientific community to speed up research into medicines to treat the disease and forge cooperation across political and geographical frontiers to help AIDS and HIV carriers worldwide.
"This global challenge calls for an effective global response because no country, however mighty economically and advanced technologically, can liberate itself fully from HIV-AIDS unless the entire human race can be liberated," Vajpayee told an eight-country conference in New Delhi.
India announced in March that it had 3.97 million HIV-positive cases, the largest HIV-positive population
in the world after South Africa. Unofficial estimates put the figure at closer to five million.
Vajpayee said India's political groups and other communities were closely cooperating to stem the spread of AIDS.
"For all of us in India the spread of HIV and AIDS and taking good care of victims has become an urgent national task. It is a concern that is shared equally by the central and state governments, as also by all political parties.
"The Indian business community is beginning to realise its responsibility in contributing its might to the war on HIV and AIDS," Vajpayee told delegates from India, Brazil, China, Kenya, South Africa, Thailand, Nigeria and Nepal in the world's first conference of policymakers of anti-AIDS campaigns.
"Much more needs to be done. We need to reach out to the illiterate and to those who are vulnerable to AIDS infection," Vajpayee said and
called on religious leaders and social activists to join hands with the government to battle the disease.
"We should also activate trade unionists, school and college teachers, and, if necessary, the humble postman to carry the message of prevention being the only cure, at least so far," Vajpayee said.
The prime minister also asked the developing world to focus on country-specific research for vaccines against specific strains of the virus.
"The international research so far, has been focused on the 'B' subtype of HIV, which is prevalent in the United States and Thailand. In India the 'C' type is prevalent. Therefore, we need a 'C' sub-type vaccine as quickly as all of you can develop it," he told the delegates.
India has said it will look towards South Africa and China for research collaboration and partnerships in developing its own India-specific anti-AIDS vaccine.