Nearly 8% of country's HIV cases are from Manipur

July 22, 2009

Imphal, July 21: The number of HIV-positive commercial sex workers is on the

increase in Manipur, state health minister Pheiroijam Parijat Singh today

informed the Assembly.

" The estimated number of adult HIV-positive people in Manipur was 1.67 per cent

in 2006. The rate has come down to 1.57 per cent in 2007. The result for 2008 is

still awaited, " the health minister said, replying to a question from Opposition

member I. Ibohalbi.

Parijat Singh said the reason was an increase in the population of commercial

sex workers in the state.

The minister, however, said the HIV rate among men having sex with men had come

down from 29 per cent in 2003 to 16 per cent in 2007.

" The increase in HIV-prevalence among sex workers is a cause for concern. The

government and the State AIDS Control Society are working on ways to prevent the

spread of the disease among this high risk group, " he added.

According to a survey by Imphal-based NGO Meitei Leimarol Sinnai Sang, under a

project called Intervention for Women at Risk, taken up under the State AIDS

Control Society, Imphal city alone has more than 1,600 sex workers.

M.C. Rita, the chief functionary of the NGO, said the violence in which married

men were dying and poor economic conditions where the husband could not feed the

family, turned many women into sex workers. Manipur is one of the six high

prevalence states in India.

The prevalence rate among pregnant women is 1.3 per cent.

Manipur, with hardly 0.2 per cent of India's population, contributes nearly 8

per cent of the country's total HIV positive cases.

According to the latest statistics with the state AIDS control society, nearly

30,000 people have tested as HIV positive.

The minister also admitted that security agencies were harassing sex workers and

promised to check the incidents.

Recommended Posts