The Blunting Of An Epidemic: A Courageous War On Aids (English)

Whenever a deadly virus has hit humanity - be it Monkeypox, Coronavirus (SARS- CoV-2) or HIV each time it has set off alarm bells ringing to deafening decibels. When the HIV epidemic broke out in India in the 1980s, even a mere handshake with an infected person was believed to be enough to infect healthy people and kill them. At a time when the macabre shadow of AIDS deaths loomed menacingly, change maker Dr. Ishwar Gilada had already taken up the initiative of treating sexually transmitted diseases. He set out a multipronged approach to educate the masses along with his medico-social group: Peoples Health Organisation (PHO); and began by creating awareness where the risk of HIV transmission was perhaps the highest: Mumbais Red-light district, Kamathipura. Dr. Gilada even braved spiteful barbs and initial reluctance from the sex workers while making them accept free medical care and condoms. The gargantuan task of helping blunt the impact of the AIDS epidemic, initially in Mumbai and Maharashtra, goes to Dr. Gilada and PHO. Soon the campaign spread to the rest of India. They were organizing street marches, debunking myths about the exploitative Devadasi system, rescuing women from prostitution, exposing child trafficking, and filing court cases for blood safety and release of a HIV+ person held captive in Goa. In all likelihood, in December 1985, Dr. Gilada was the first doctor and PHO was the first NGO to detect HIV infections in India, after testing blood samples from Mumbais sex workers, blood banks and blood recipients. PHO was the first organisation to vociferously advocate the use of condoms as the safest method of protection against HIV. To-date, Dr. Gilada-led PHO continues to work towards their goal of complete eradication of AIDS.