Nepal: Dalits to undergo HIV/AIDS test in Dadeldhura

[Guest guest]

Dalits to undergo HIV/AIDS test in Dadeldhura

By DR Pant

DADELDHURA, Aug 14 : It is learnt that HIV/AIDS test of the residents

of a Dalit settlement of Jogbudha in Dadeldhura is about to be

undertaken in the wake of eight Dalits of this settlement succumbing

to death due to this menace.

After the publication of the data of the eight deaths within a time

span of two years, the test became very essential for the entire

Dalit people who had settled at Jogbudha in the inner Terai region of

this district migrating from Sanagaon and Pokhari VDC in Doti

district about two decades ago.

According to the information provided by a local social worker

Mahabir Kami, a tradition exists in this Dalit settlement whereby at

least a member from each of these families venture out in search of

work to Mumbai city in India, a city popular among this community and

this trend of catapulting to Mumbai influenced by the insurgency

between the Maoists and the government since the past three years had

intensified with mostly the youngsters leaving their homes.

It is not easy to identify HIV/AIDS-inflicted persons just by their

external appearance, so the head of the Jogbudha Health Post, Bhojraj

Ghimire, stressed on the need to conduct HIV/AIDS test on all the

families whose members had been to Mumbai for work, and on all those

Dalit families who had accounted death of any of their member due to

this menace, and on all the children of the families with HIV-

inflicted parents.

The acting director of a non -government organisation MEDS emphasised

on the need to conduct this test not only on Dalit families but also

on those families prone to the risk of contraction of HIV/AIDS around

this region, and informed that they have already collected the data

of many such families who have been listed to undergo this test.

According to the information provided by this organisation after the

completion of the entire data collection work, they will arrange

money for the technical expenditure likely to be incurred depending

upon the total number of people listed to undergo HIV/AIDS test.

According to data collected by this organisation so far, 469 persons

including male and female, and children from 67 families have to be

tested. Included in this list are those families whose members had

been on previous occasions gone to Mumbai but who have stopped

visiting now, those who had recently visited this Indian city, and

those visiting intermittently.

Of the data collected by this organisation, 11 percent of the women

were tuberculosis

The Kathmandu Post

[Guest guest]

Dear Forum,

Such an attempt of mandatory screening of a population is bound to be

counterproductive. It is vitally important to look into this problem in a mature

and scietific manner to work for the betterment of those infected and/or

affected by HIV/AIDS.The good practices and experiences of others working both

for the welfare/care and support of PLWA and containment of HIV/AIDS need to be

adapted and adopted.

People and organizations working for this cause need to facilitate such an

intervention in this resource poor area.

Dr.Rajesh Gopal

Deputy Director,

Gujarat State AIDS Control Society,

O/1Block,New M.H.Complex,

Meghaninagar,Ahmedabad(Gujarat)PIN 380004 (INDIA)

Phone (O) 079-2680211--12--13,2685210 Fax079-2680214®2866450

E-mail: <dr_rajeshg@...>