AIDS spreads tentacles in Uttarakhand

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AIDS spreads tentacles in Uttarakhand

Utpal Parashar, Hindustan Times

Dehradun, June 03, 2007. Like other parts of the country, the scenic hills of

Uttarakhand where people used to come to recuperate from their illnesses, have

also fallen prey to the fast spreading tentacles of AIDS.

According to government estimates, at least 30 to 40 new cases of HIV

positive patients are being reported every month from government

hospitals across the state. The number could go further up if

patients getting treated at private hospitals are also taken into

account.

Since its creation in November 2000 till April this year, a total of

911 HIV positive patients have been detected in Uttarakhand. Of this,

nearly 400 new cases were reported in the past year alone.

Of the 911 HIV positive patients, 140 of them turned into full-blown

AIDS cases resulting in 25 deaths. Officials say that the real

scenario could be far worse as patients getting treated at private

hospitals rarely get reported.

" Only patients coming from weak economic backgrounds come to

government testing centers to get themselves screened for the disease

free of cost. Those who can afford it, generally prefer going to

private pathology labs, " said Dr. AP Mamgain, in-charge of

Uttarakhand State AIDS Control Society.

He said while the prevalence of HIV positive in Uttarakhand is only

0.5 percent, which is less than the alarming percentage of 1 percent

and above, there is still cause for concern because of the large

number of youths and men from the state going outside in search of

livelihood.

Studies show that more than 350 of the total HIV positive patients

are women and nearly 30 percent of them had got infected from their

husbands who are employed in big cities like Delhi, Mumbai and other

plain areas.

" Some of these men indulge in unprotected sex and contract the

disease. When they return to their homes in Uttarakhand, they in turn

infect their wives who come to know about their condition after

several years, " said Mamgain.

In Uttarakhand too most number of HIV positive patients have been

reported from the plain areas of Dehradun, Nainital, Udham Singh

Nagar and Haridwar districts and efforts initiated to fight the

disease effectively in these areas.

Over 1650 sex workers in these districts have been informed about the

disease and asked to insist on their customers wearing condoms. The

USACS teams have also counseled 750 street children and over 6,000

truckers.

Taking into account the low percentage of condom usage in rural

areas, 400 condom vending machines have been set up across the state

in order to make people aware of how the disease spreads and aid them

with tools to protect themselves.

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