International AIDS Candlelight Memorial observation 2012 at Lamyanba Sanglen, Imphal on Sunday.

IMPHAL: Manipur Legislative Assembly Speaker Th Lokeshwor assured that state MLAs will do whatever it can to fulfill the need of people living with HIV/AIDS.

The Speaker stated this while speaking at the International AIDS Candlelight Memorial observation 2012 at Lamyanba Sanglen here today.

Joining with the rest of the world, Nagaland Sunday observed the 29th International AIDS Candlelight Memorial Day. Dimapur Network of People Living with HIV&AIDS (DNP+) Sunday marked the event at IMC Hall, Dimapur, on the theme “Promoting Health and Dignity Together” with deputy commissioner, Dimapur, N. Hushili Sema, as the guest speaker.

According to the 'Handbook of Drug Abuse Information - 2011' released by the National Dangerous Drug Control Board recently the incidence of young people falling victim to drug use is on the rise. According to the report the total number of drug related arrests was 29,796 in 2010. Thirty nine percent of these arrestees were in their 20s.

U.S. drug regulators are changing the label for Merck & Co Inc's recently approved Victrelis treatment for hepatitis C to show it should not be taken with some widely used HIV medicines.

"Co-administration (of the two drugs) ... is not recommended at this time because of the possibility of reducing the effectiveness of the medicines, permitting the amount of HCV (hepatitis C virus) or HIV ... in the blood to increase," the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said on Thursday.

IMPHAL: Even as a large number of people infected with HIV have received a new lease of life following introduction of ART drugs, many people infected by both HIV and Hepatitis C have been literally left to their own fates in the absence of any Government policy or programme for their medical test, diagnosis and treatment.

At the least, Rs two lakhs to Rs six lakhs are required for diagnosis and treatment of people co-infected by HIV and Hepatitis C. In addition to the high cost of treatment, recovery rate is rather disappointing.

Kazikot Village: In this village not far from the Pakistani border, the wheat harvest is only days away. Water buffaloes are resting in the shade. Farmers are preparing their fields. And drug addicts like Pargat Singh are crouched in the shadows, injecting themselves with cocktails of synthetic drugs.

A Fraser Health Authority report on injection drug use and harm reduction is showing relatively high rates of hepatitis C, illicit drug overdoses and deaths for New Westminster, although the report's author says the Royal City is on par with surrounding municipalities.

The Record obtained a copy of the attachment that was to be included as part of a proposed harm reduction service plan for Abbotsford, which has an antiharm-reducation bylaw.