323 people found HIV positive in Andaman and Nicobar Islands

[Guest guest]

323 people found HIV positive in Andaman

Port Blair, June 9: Altogether 323 people have been found HIV-

positive in remote Andaman and Nicobar Islands which, according to

doctors, is a 'low prevalent but vulnerable' area in India.

''We have carried out HIV tests on 74,781 persons among whom 71,903

were from these islands and 2,878 foreign nationals, mostly poachers

from neighbouring countries,'' Dr Mishri Lall, the Project Director

of Andaman and Nicobar AIDS Control Society (ANACS) told reporters

today.

Addressing mediapersons during a day-long advocacy workshop on

HIV/AIDS, Dr Lall said that out of these 323 cases, 170 cases were

found among foreign nationals while 153 among local people.

''Out of these 153 cases, 24 cases have been detected in Nicobar

District, mainly dominated by Nicobari tribes,'' Dr Lall added.

According to official records, besides these, 40 cases of AIDS had

been reported in Andaman and Nicobar Islands among which only two are

surviving.

Among these 40 AIDS cases, 11 were foreign nationals.

''We are conducting compulsory AIDS test on all the foreign poachers

of South East Asia, apprehended by Defence and Police forces for

illegal fishing in Andaman Sea. Among these poachers the rate of

HIV/AIDS is more,'' the project director of ANACS added.

Andaman and Nicobar AIDS Control Society, established in 1992, is

working for disseminating awareness on HIV/AIDS in these islands.

''The society is concentrating on young groups and has taken up the

awareness campaign in 63 senior secondary and secondary schools out

of 94 such schools in these islands,'' Dr Lall said.

''According to a study, every day nearly 7,000 people are getting

infected by the HIV virus, which means five people per minute,'' he

added.

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