NACO launches programme for HIV prevention among truckers

[Guest guest]

NACO launches programme for HIV prevention among truckers

New Delhi (PTI): Away from homes and families, they spend hours at the wheels

and this tiring schedule of millions of truckers drive them to unsafe sex,

making them a potential target of HIV/AIDS.

The nearly five-million strong population of truck drivers and other crew are

considered a potential medium for transporting AIDS virus from high-risk groups

like sex workers to their regular partners or wives.

To thwart the menace of the " rippling " spread of HIV/AIDS, the National Aids

Control Organisation has launched a programme for HIV prevention among truckers.

The programme launched by NACO under its National Aids Control Programme–III

involves raising AIDS awareness and promoting safe sex through use of condoms at

transport hubs in the country, Dr A K Khera, Additional Director General NACO

told PTI.

A total number of 131 such locations have been identified across the country and

NACO has tied up with the Transport Corporation of India for technical and

logistical support for execution of the programme.

In the national capital, it has identified three areas Azadpur Sabji Mandi,

Tughlakabad container depot and transport centre, all the three places see heavy

movement of truckers.

The truckers are a critical group because of their " mobility with HIV " , said Dr.

Khera and can carry the virus from high prevalence areas to a lower ones.

Dr. Khera said the AIDS prevalence among truckers and the migrant population is

nearly three times higher than that among the general population. Among sex

workers this rate is more than 10 times higher as compared to the general

population.

" Quite often these truckers are clients or partners of male and female sex

workers because of their separation from regular partners for long time. Such

sex practices make them vulnerable to sexually transmitted disease which they

can transmit to other persons, " Dr. Khera said.

He said that women constitute forty per cent of the total of 2.3 million HIV

positive people in the country.

The TCI, which is among the Technical Support Group of NACO, has already been

conducting a programme – Project Kavach – among the truck drivers and other

staff under the grant from the India AIDS initiative of the Bill & Melinda Gates

Foundation.

The project which covers eight states along the national highways 2 and 9, is

working for implementation of a large scale effective HIV preventive

intervention among the truckers.

In the capital, the Delhi State Aids Control Society has been given a task to

identify NGOs and community based organisations for the execution of the

targeted intervention programme among the truckers.

" Being a bustling commercial hub, nearly 35,000 long-distance truckers station

in Delhi everyday and therefore it is critical to make them aware about the

HIV/AIDS and promote safe sexual practices, " said A K Gupta of Delhi State Aids

Control Society.

http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/099200905311731.htm

[Guest guest]

Dear Colleagues,

Re: /message/10300

Here we go again, advising truckers to look one way only when going through the

intersection. Such foolish advice not only puts truckers at risk, but also puts

others at risk.

What is it about official AIDS experts?  Are they so bound by conflict of

interest that they will not warn people about unsafe injections and other

bloodborne risks during healthcare?

Do they have to take an oath of ignorance -- to ignore bloodborne HIV no matter

what the evidence -- before they can work for international organizations or

government agencies? Or are they just sex-crazed -- so that once sex is in the

picture, they can't talk or think about anything else? I am getting sick of it!

Isn't anyone else? It's like a broken record. Same old same old, all the time.

 

Let's not be silent about sexual risks -- that would be foolish.

But, similarly, let's not be silent about bloodborne risks. HIV risk is a 2-way

street -- sex and blood.

Is there any excuse for half-programs like this?

Gisselquist

e-mail: <david_gisselquist@...>