World AIDS Day in Calicut; Kerala

[Guest guest]

WORLD AIDS DAY IN CALICUT- KERALA

Center for Social Research and Development (CSRD) Calicut, the first

NGO started working with the sex workers in Kerala.

Recently we have initiated a study on HIV vulnerability of Injecting

Drugs Users in Calicut city. This was one of the first such study in

Kerala. The initial three months study has revealed an alarming

situation of HIV vulnerability of IDUs in Calicut city.

Based on the data collected so far, we have noted that the injecting

drug use habit is much higher than it was thought and the needle

sharing is a shocking 91% (n=120).

As part of the intervention programs initiated by CSRD, on this

World AIDS Day we are hosting a seminar on Drug Use and AIDS. Based

on our data and experience, we would like to invite the attention of

other AIDS agencies in Kerala to the HIV vulnerability of IDUs and

would like to urge them to include IDU aspect also as part of heir

World AIDS campaign programs and other ongoing interventions.

In Solidarity

Tito , LLB.MSW

Director

CSRD, Calicut

E-mail: titothomas@...