Economic Blockade: Manipur To Airlift Condoms

When the people of Manipur are worried about high prices of commodities, MACS has ordered to airlift condoms...

By Pankaj Sharma

Guwahati, Sep 28 : A blockade-choked Manipur could be facing an HIV epidemic because of condom shortage, forcing the AIDS Control Society to consider airlifting rubber to the state.

The Sadar Hills District Demand Committee imposed an economic blockade along Imphal-Jiribam and Imphal-Dimapur highways on July 31 in support of the creation of Sadar Hills district.

The United Naga Council imposed another blockade on August 21, to oppose inclusion of Naga villages when the Sadar Hills district is created.

The government has been trying to maintain minimal supplies through an alternative route, but condoms are certainly not part of the consignment.

Jittery over the shortage, the Manipur State AIDS Control Society has decided to take probably the last way out — airlift condoms.

Official sources told The Telegraph that that not a single condom was left with the AIDS control society for distribution and the road blockade is preventing fresh stocks from reaching Manipur — counted as a high HIV/AIDS prevalence state in the country.

According to the latest study of the Manipur State AIDS Control Society, the number of HIV-positive people has gone up to 38,016. Of these 10,109 are women and 2,578 children.

“The AIDS control society society ran out of condom stock almost a couple of months ago. Distribution of condoms among high-risk groups for sexually transmitted diseases and AIDS has been seriously affected in the state,” the source said.

“The society has written to the National AIDS Control Organisation asking for the estimated cost of airlifting condoms. We hope to make necessary arrangements to bring in condoms by air within the next two to three days,” he said.

According to the source, manufacturers can send the condoms by air but the Manipur State AIDS Control Society will have to the bear additional costs since the Union ministry of health and family welfare has contracts with condom manufacturers for surface transport only.

He said the society was ready “in principle” to bear the additional cost and a final decision would be taken when they get the exact estimate of additional cost from the National AIDS Control Organisation.

Manipur is among the six high HIV/AIDS prevalence states in India, with the first HIV case being reported in the state in 1990.

The state government constituted the Manipur State AIDS Control Society as the nodal agency in March 1998 to combat an epidemic. Manipur, with hardly 0.2 per cent of India’s population, is contributing 8 per cent of the country’s HIV-positive cases.