Clinton grants $ 5 million to fight TB, AIDS

By S. Nagesh Kumar

HYDERABAD, MARCH 24. The U.S. President, Mr. Bill Clinton, called for a wider partnership between India and the United States to combat malaria, tuberculosis and AIDS on the lines of their cooperation during the green revolution in the Sixties which helped India attain self-sufficiency.

He set the ball rolling for this cooperation on the occasion of World Tuberculosis Day today by announcing a $ 5 million grant to India to fund projects for AIDS control ($ 4 million) and TB research ($ 1 million).

Mr. Clinton was speaking at Mahavir Hospital, a small institution run by a trust, which has been in the forefront of implementing the Direct Observed Treatment Short-course (DOTS), a method of administering drugs to TB patients under supervision of health workers, which has proved to be highly successful in developing countries.

In Mr. Clinton's presence, three TB patients - Chaitanya (12), Niteshwari (18) and Mohammed Mahaboob (35) - took the last dose of isonex refampicin to symbolise their complete cure from the debilitating disease. Along with the Anshra Pradesh Chief Minister, N. Chandrababu Naidu, and the Health Minister, Dr. S. Aruna, he also supervised the administration of oral polio vaccine to a nine-month-old girl, Sandhya.

The U.S. Government chose TB as the focus of Mr. Clinton's healthcare initiative as India accounts for 30 per cent of tuberculosis cases in the world, as against 15 per cent in China. It is also the single leading infectious killer. Each year, TB kills 4.21 lakh people, which is more than the toll taken by HIV, sexually transmitted diseases, malaria, leprosy and tropical diseases. Above all, TB is the strongest risk factor for HIV among adults.

The President said he had sought the support of the U.S. Congress for a $ 1 billion programme for research on TB, AIDS and malaria, so that vaccine could be made available at affordable rates to patients in developing countries. Pointing towards Mr. Gary Ackerman and five other Congressmen accompanying him, he hoped he would have their cooperation.

Mr. Clinton said he was here to celebrate India's success story in its war against polio and meeting new challenges posed by TB and AIDS. Referring to Dr. Aruna's statement that Andhra Pradesh was on the verge of eradicating polio, he said the incidence of polio had come down from 27,000 in 1987 to 1,000 now, with no new cases being reported.

In this significant achievement, India had collaborated with the Rotary International, Bill Gates Foundation, UNICEF, WHO and U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), for which he had a special word of appreciation, for forging a partnership at a human level besides supporting programmes in agriculture, family planning and education, including the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT). ``USAID will be critical to our new dynamic relations,'' he said.

Mr. Clinton said though the TB bacteria was discovered 118 years ago, the disease remained a major killer with one person dying every minute in India. Malaria too was on the rise in South East Asia and Africa while AIDS had turned into a global problem from which no nation was immune.

There was need for a concerted battle by the Government and the private sector against these `modern plagues' on the lines of India's war to eradicate polio.

Referring to the threat posed by AIDS to the U.S., and now to India, he said it was much easier to talk about it than see another child die. ``We must face the challenge of preventing this disease for which there is no cure.'' He complimented the Bill Gates Foundation for its new contribution to fight infectious diseases and said this had no parallel.

The U.S. President also paid a tribute to the talent and genius of Indian scientists for their pioneering work in TB treatment, stating that it was practiced even in the U.S. and praised Indian healthcare officials for their dedication.

His daughter, Chelsea, the U.S. Commerce Secretary, Mr. William Daley, the Ambassador, Mr. Richard Celeste, the Indian envoy, Mr. Naresh Chandra, eminent medical specialists, health officials and representatives of voluntary agencies were among those present.

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