here, it will be much more slow and gradual."

Recent reports estimate that as many as eight million people could be infected with HIV across the Indian subcontinent. The official UNAIDS statistics for 2000 were 3.8 million, with the highest prevalence in Bombay's Maharashtra region.
"The virus in India is very localised," explains Shivananda. Remember there's a billion people in India. In Gujarat for example, there is little HIV, but not much further south in Bombay, it's raging.
"In Pakistan and Bangladesh, HIV is uncommon, but not other STDs. If HIV takes hold in these regions, then that will be a problem because a lot of brides and grooms in arranged marriages come over here."
Last year's PHLS (Public Health Laboratory Service) figures showed about 350 Aids diagnoses among Indian/Asian and oriental communities here, but there are no similar ethnic breakdown figures for actual HIV diagnoses available. Janet Mortimer

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of PHLS told Positive Nation: "Anonymous testing has shown no evidence so far of higher HIV prevalence in parts of the UK with high Asian populations, at least up to 2000. The one thing we are telling British Asians is: 'Take care when you make trips back to the subcontinent'."
Parminder Sekhon heads the client services team at Naz Project London. She sees about 10 service users at Naz at present. "We can only guess through anecdotal information, but it is likely that the PHLS Aids statistics

Parminder Sekhon: "Overcoming racial issues can be difficult for HIV prevention"

are under-estimated," says Parminder.