In driving schools, truckers to get lessons on AIDS

January 24, 2006

Gopal Sathe

New Delhi, January 23: A study conducted under the aegis of the

International Labour Organisation (ILO) last year had revealed that

truck drivers are a group particularly vulnerable to HIV/ AIDS. To

tackle this problem, two of the Capital's premiere drivers' training

schools, have initiated courses in HIV/AIDS prevention.

Over 7,000 drivers have been imparted information about AIDS by the

Automobile Association of Upper India as part of a three-day lecture

programme.

The Institute of Driver Training and Research, run in collaboration

with Maruti, has a training module AIDS prevention which covers

basic aspects of prevention. The focus is on abstinence and using

condoms.

T K Malhotra, president of AAUI says: ``Truck drivers spend long

spans of time travelling, frequently passing through villages and

small towns. They often indulge in unsafe sex, as few really care to

take any precautions. The ILO study showed that a large number of

these drivers are HIV-infected and ignorance has led to further

spread of the disease. "

The study, published in the British Medical Journal, had

stated: ``India has one of the largest road networks in the world

and an estimated 5 million truck drivers and assistants. Of this, 87

per cent have frequent and indiscriminate change of sexual partners

and only 11 per cent used condoms. "

The AAUI, in collaboration with the ILO, is now running a programme

Surakshit Yaatra Project, in Vijaywada, which aims at reducing the

spread of AIDS through behavioural change. The project has been

successful and is now going to be extended to the rest of the

country.

The group has started distributing HIV/AIDS home-test kits, approved

by the US Food and Drug Administration. The test is simple, quick

and enables a person to take it in privacy. It involves the analysis

of saliva and gives results in 20 minutes.

``the test can be conducted in the privacy of one's home. Usually,

people are scared of going to a hospital to find out find out

something like this, because they are worried others will get to

know about it,'' says Malhotra.

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