AIDS Is On Rise In Orissa

[Guest guest]

Killer Disease-AIDS Is On Rise In Orissa

Report by Kishor Kumar Dash; Malkangiri:

AIDS remains one of the significant problems haunting India over the past

decade. India, at this level, continues to be the third largest contributor to

global HIV burden after South Africa and Nigeria.

Though an estimated prevalence rate of adult HIV has shown a marginal decline in

India, a multi-centre study says, the same has recorded a rise in Orissa.

The report published in the Indian Journal of Medical Research recently reveals

an increasing epidemic trend was noticed in seven of the low prevalence states

such as Pudducherry, Jammu and Kashmir, Jharkhand, Bihar, Orissa, Rajasthan and

West Bengal.

The assessment showed that HIV prevalence among the adults was 0.36 per cent

while the rate in high prevalence States stood at an alarming 0.8 per cent. In

the low and moderate epidemic states like Orissa, the rate of infection stood at

0.2 per cent.

As per the data, Orissa's adult HIV prevalence rate has seen a rise from the

0.06 per cent level in 2002 to 0.22 per cent in 2006. This also explains why the

number of people living with HIV/AIDS (PLHA) has increased over the same time -

from 9,717 to 48,248, a 400 per cent growth.

The report points out that Tamil Nadu was one among the high prevalence states

to have recorded a decline in the rate while it remained stable in Andhra

Pradesh and Karnataka

The problem is particularly large in orissa, which has recorded as many as 459

AIDS related deaths over the past three years. Out of 24,676 blood samples

screened during the period between January, 2002 and September, 2005, 2506 HIV

positive cases were detected in the state.

Furthermore, 641 persons were found to be full-blown AIDS cases and 459 deaths

were reported during the same period. Of all the districts, Ganjam has been

found to be the worst-affected district and is closely followed by Kendrapara,

Puri, Cuttack and Koraput.

Until December 2007, Ganjam district accounted for 35 per cent of the total AIDS

deaths and 37.8 per cent of a total of 8,200 HIV-positive cases in Orissa,

according to Orissa State AIDS Control Society (OSACS).

As per official records in Orissa 10, 862 persons were infected by HIV till

September 2008. Among them 1020 were AIDS patients. Ganjam district happened to

be the major hub of this killer virus. There were more than 4296 HIV-positive

cases in the district while 363 of them were AIDS patients.

Till now Ganjam has recorded 293 deaths due to AIDS, which is the highest in the

State. At the Anti Retroviral Testing (ART) Centre in the district's central

town, Berhampur, from 2002 till February 2008 - out of a total of 37,386 persons

tested, 3,491 were HIV-positive.

ART treatment has been started on 1,015 cases.

The emerging face of the HIV epidemic is increasingly turning younger, rural and

feminine. Prevailing gender stereotypes and early marriage ensure that women

remain ignorant and unable to protect themselves - making them especially

vulnerable to infection from husbands.

Of the total HIV infected population in India, 38.4 per cent are women and 57

per cent rural, according to the National AIDS Control Organization (NACO,

2006). One of the most debilitating impacts of this epidemic is the stigma and

discrimination resulting from disclosure of status. And AIDS widows, in

particular, bear the brunt of inhuman social ostracism, their situation

exacerbated by loss of the earlier social support system and source of earnings;

dependent children; and denial of healthcare.

Another disturbing trend is that HIV is spreading in rural areas. Despite

targeted efforts, HIV prevalence among female sex workers has not fallen below

52% since 2000, according to the National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO). In

states like Haryana, fewer than half of all sex workers, brothel or

street-based, knew that condoms prevented the spread of HIV/AIDS.

Over 30% of street sex workers still do not know that condoms prevent HIV

infection and many in India still decide a `client' has AIDS or not based on his

physical appearance. Ostracism, humiliation and mistreatment at the hands of

family members, community and the medical fraternity are increasing in Orissa.

But there is not a single organisation offering care and support to people

living with AIDS (PLWHAs) in the state.

The lack of adequate medical care, treatment facilities and socio-economic

support from families and the community has driven many patients to despair and

suicide.

http://orissadiary.com/CurrentNews.asp?id=12174