Re: AIDS cases in Karnataka on the rise: Report

[Guest guest]

Dear Members,

It is not surprising given the fact that a large proportion of sex

workers in Mumbai are from Karnataka. Also young men from rural

areas

in the Northern Karnataka migrate to Goa, Mangalore, and Mumbai

during the summer for making a living. These young men are likely to

go back to their villages in Karnataka carrying the infection with

them.

A detailed mapping study conducted by FHI/USAID in Mumbai in the

year

2000 indicated that more than 60 percent of the brothel-based sex

workers were from Karnataka. And it is well-known that more than 60

per cent of the sex workers of Mumbai are HIV positive. These sex

workers are also known to visit thier homes/villages in Karnataka

every year and possibly carry the infection along with them.

Therefore, there is a strong need for source-destination HIV/AIDS

intervention in Karnataka and Mumbai/Maharashtra. Unfortunately, no

such efforts have been made yet.

Dr. Shankar Talwar

Director

Action Research Centre

Mumbai

E-mail: <shankartalwar@...>