TN's Namakkal district is AIDS prone

June 7, 2004

Namakkal, June 5 (ANI):

With over 100,000 cases of AIDS, Namakkal district of Tamil Nadu is

fast acquiring the dubious reputation of the " AIDS district " of the

country.

The figure is growing by the day, despite all attempts by authorities

and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to spread awareness on

AIDS. A booming truck operation business has made matters worse for

Namakkal. NGOs say truck drivers act as AIDS carriers.

India has one of the largest road networks in the world and an

estimated two to five million long-distance truck drivers and

helpers. The extended periods of absence from home put the drivers in

close proximity to " high-risk " sex workers.

" In Namakkal district, lorry transport business is one of the main

occupations and almost 50 percent of lorries plying in India are from

Namakkal district only. So most of the drivers and (truck) cleaners

belong to Namakkal district. They move all over India and due to the

circumstances, they involve in such (sexual) activities, and as a

result, get infected, " said Karunanithi, president of an AIDS

awareness group - HUNS (HIV Ullor Nalla Sangam).

A recent study found that around 87 percent of the drivers had

frequent and indiscriminate change of sexual partners, and only 11

percent of them used condoms, though they were aware of the dangers

of AIDS. " I got married six years earlier, and at that time, I did

not know what responsibilities family life involves, " said Vennila, a

former truck driver now infected with AIDS.

To check the spreading of the dreaded disease the National AIDS

Control Organisation, or NACO, has launched an AIDS- awareness

programme. Workshops are being conducted across the country to

motivate vulnerable people to reduce their risk of contracting and

transmitting sexually transmitted infections (STIs), with a stress on

HIV/AIDS. According to the latest WHO estimates, with AIDS having

already killed more than 20 million people and over 46 million more

affected, the world is facing nothing less than a global pandemic.

Although the Centre has launched a nationwide project to build AIDS

awareness, it is facing an uphill battle because of the enormous

stigma attached to the disease

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