NEW DELHI (UCAN) -- A Church health coalition has joined a federal government campaign against tuberculosis (TB) as part of its ongoing effort to combat HIV and AIDS.

It announced the decision at a meeting held July 8-9 in New Delhi. About 60 representatives of 11 Catholic organizations in the National Catholic Coalition for Health and HIV/AIDS attended the meeting, which the Health Commission of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of India (CBCI) convened.

The commission initiated the coalition in 2003 to help with the Church's "concerted effort" to fight the spread of human immunodeficiency virus, or HIV, which usually leads to AIDS, an almost always fatal condition.

The meeting discussed the Church's contribution toward prevention, care and treatment for HIV and AIDS, and related diseases. It also decided to collaborate with the federal government in launching India's Revised National Tuberculosis Control Program (RNTCP).

CBCI health commission chairperson Archbishop Bernard Moras of Bangalore told UCA News he was "very happy and satisfied that we could rope in many health organizations" in the Church campaign.

Father Alex Vadakumthala, the commission secretary, said the coalition decided to join the government campaign because TB is one of opportunistic diseases linked to HIV and AIDS. "Many people living with HIV are also TB-infected, and it is important that we provide them medicines. The government has the best treatment and drugs available. We should make use of them," Father Vadakumthala told UCA News on July 8.

According to the World Health Organization, patients with their immune system corrupted by HIV or AIDS are 30 times more likely to contract TB. This has particular significance for India, which has more than 3.4 million TB patients, about one-fifth of the worldwide total. An Indian government report says an infected person spreads airborne TB germs and a single patient can infect 10 or more people annually.

TB, like HIV, affects the poor most, especially migrant workers, and "it is time the Church joined hands with the government" to fight it, Father Vadakumthala said. The Catholic Church has more than 4,500 health-care centers across India, mostly in villages, he noted. They will identify people infected with TB and administer government-provided medicines to them.

India's organized battle against TB began in 1906, when Christian missioners built the nation's first two centers for the care of tuberculosis patients, in the northern Indian towns of Ajmer and Almora. "Two deaths occur every three minutes from tuberculosis. But these deaths can be prevented with proper care and treatment," the federal government reports.

The Church collaboration would help implement RNTCP in 11 of India's 28 states, especially in villages where the Church's presence is significant, according to Father Vadakumthala.

An example of such reach is the Sister Doctors' Forum of India, whose 600 doctor-nuns work primarily in villages. Sister M. Lina, forum president, told UCA News the members are competent and qualified medical personnel who work in "very remote areas where not even government agencies can reach."

Sister Lina said the forum, a member of the Catholic coalition, helps improve networking, sharing of information, access to technology and collaboration with other organizations.

Representatives of the U.S.-based Catholic Medical Mission Board and Catholic Relief Services attended the meeting as overseas partners of the coalition. Representatives of the United States Agency for International development (USAID), the Joint United Nations' Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) and the Indian government also participated.

Speaking about the fight against AIDS, Dileep Kumar, president of the Indian Nursing Council, said, "The Church has done a tremendous job to combat this menace."

Another person who hailed the Church's work was Denis Broun, Indian coordinator of UNAIDS. He told UCA News on July 9 that his organization finds it easy to work with the Church because its people "are already in the field."

Father Vadakumthala recalled that before the coalition was established, Church institutions and facilities worked among HIV/AIDS people independently and with no common policy.

Official estimates say India has around 2.5 million HIV-infected people, the third-highest number after South Africa and Nigeria.

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