New AIDS threat from 'call center Romeos'. Dr. Suniti Solomon

[Guest guest]

Expert: New AIDS threat emerging in India among 'call center Romeos'

Sun, Jun 22 11:18 AM

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) _ A new AIDS threat is rising in India's numerous

call centers, where young staff are increasingly having unprotected sex with

multiple partners in affairs developed during night shifts, a top AIDS expert

has warned. While India has made great strides in bringing down its HIV

infection rate, the promiscuity among " call center Romeos " is a great concern,

Dr.

Suniti , who detected the first HIV case in India in 1986, told an

international medical conference Saturday. The United Nations, however, still

estimates there are some 2.5 million Indians

living with HIV and AIDS now.

" India has reached a plateau of the infections, " told the International

Congress on Infectious Diseases, which ends Sunday. Her concern now is the call

centers, where many of the young staff work at

night to correspond with the daytime working hours of their American and

European clients.

" They have all the money. They huddle together in the night.

They are young, they are sexually active, so naturally they start, " , who

runs an AIDS center in the southern city of Chennai, told The Associated Press

in a separate interview. She said at least three or four call center workers

visit her clinic every week to get

tested for HIV because they are worried after having unprotected sex.

It is estimated that India's call centers employ some 1.3 million people, mostly

youths fresh out of school and colleges, earning a starting salary of 25,000

rupees (US$600) a month, more than a government doctor's paycheck. " You will see

call center Romeos are a major high risk for HIV, " said.

There are no figures for how many call center workers are infected with HIV.

Citing confessions by the visitors to her center, said groups of young

men and women rent apartments along the beach during the weekends and end up

having multiple-partner sex.

" If they are having sex just among themselves, and all are non-infected it is

fine.

But if there is one person who has gone out of this group and brought in the

virus, it will spread to everyone, " she said.

While the " call center Romeo " situation is a reflection of recent liberal

values, India's anti-AIDS fight is also hampered by society's coexisting

conservatism, told the conference.

She said this is evident in Hindu activists' opposition to circumcision which is

proven to help inhibit HIV transmission on the grounds that it is against

tradition and religion of Hindu-majority

India. said she does not expect India to accept circumcision for

preventing HIV infections.

A recent government study to gauge the acceptance for circumcision triggered a

massive backlash by Hindu fundamentalists, who called it " obnoxious " and " a

conspiracy. " " If you go out into the streets and say I will do this

(circumcision) to reduce HIV, there will

be a chaos, " she said.

" Vaccines have failed. Microbicides have failed.

This is one tool we have in hand but we can't use it. "

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