Orissa: AIDS patients pushed to society's margins

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AIDS patients pushed to society's margins

Recently, a youth of Adikandpur under Digapandi police limits was ostracised by

his co-villagers after he was found HIV positive. He contracted the disease

while working as a labourer in Surat and a few days back, he had returned to his

village after he came to know of it.

When the news spread, villagers ostracised him and his wife.

Locals said nearly a lakh people from the region work as labourers in Surat,

Mumbai etc. During the last one year, six AIDS patients in Ganjam district have

died of the disease and trend has been rising by the year.

As per records, Ganjam, one of the State’s poorest districts, has many young

victims who suffer psychologically and socially.

Ganjam is one of the high prevalent districts in India and is an ‘A’

category district where the prevalence of HIV/AIDS among the general public is

more than one per cent.

While 40 per cent of the total HIV population in Orissa is from Ganjam, more

than 90 per cent of the HIV population in the district are migrants.

As per reports prepared by voluntary organisations working for prevention of

AIDS, a majority of people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) is from rural Ganjam.

Previously, the male percentage of HIV affected was high but at present, men and

women are on par.

The organisations attribute rampant migration, ignorance, low female literacy,

inadequate prevention and fear of stigma attached to the disease as a few of the

factors responsible for HIV spread.

The government, on the other hand, is taking all possible measures to provide

medical care to them.

There are 26 Integrated Counselling and Testing Centres (ICTC), a one mobile

ICTC, a community care centre, a child care home, a home-based care and support

project for Aska and Hinjili blocks and one Anti-Retroviral Therapy Centre for

HIV/AIDS patients in the district.

At the ARTC, functioning on the premises of MKCG Medical, facilities like

counselling, CD 4 count and ART medicines are all provided to the patients free

of cost.

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