The Supreme Court on Wednesday issued verdict directing the government authorities to promulgate the Act for protecting the rights of people who are HIV-positive. Two-member bench of justices Kalyan Shrestha and Sushila Karki ordered the Ministry of Health and Ministry of Law, Justice and Constituent Assembly Affairs to prepare the bill and table it before the House for endorsement at the earliest possible. The apex court has also asked the authorities to consult experts and the patients before tabling the bill in the legislature-parliament.

Today is the 20th anniversary of the first World AIDS Day back in 1988. Worldwide, around 33 million people are infected with the virus an earlier estimate of 40 million was downgraded by the United Nations in its most recent report, due to revised sampling methods. There were 2.7 million new infections in 2007 (the stats on which the report is based), and 2 million died of the virus. This year the slogan of World AIDS Day is "Lead-Empower-Deliver"

 

Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal and other officials attended a programme marking the World Aids Day at Tundikhel, Kathmandu, on Mon, 1st Dec 2008. In a message issued on the occasion of 20th World AIDS Day, Monday (December 1), PM Dahal has said  that the government is fully cognizant of the utter necessity of national leadership and ownership to fight a campaign against HIV/AIDS the state needs to develop leadership from village to center to create social awareness to fight the disease. In a separate message issued by Health and Population Minister Girirajmani Pokharel, he has outlined the government's continued campaign to fight the disease.

 
40th Asia-Pacific Academic Consortium for Public Health (APACPH) Annual Conference have been successfully completed. The conference was was held in Kuala Luampur, Malaysia. The official opening day started from 7th Nov and Ended on 9th Nov, 2008, nearly 300 participants from more than 25 countries attended the 40th APACPH Annual Conference. It was sponsored by Asia-Pacific Academic Consortium of Public Health from 64 Universities in 20 countries and Mr. Sujan Jirel, Program Coordinator of AIDS Alliance Nepal (AAN) also has successful presented the oral presentation abstract. The host  University of Malaya, the Department of Social and Preventive Medicine and the Medical Education and Research Development Unit, Medical Faculty and Dental Faculty made significant contribution in making this conference possible and creating the condition and climate for a very successful meeting.