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Injectable drug users emerge biggest threat

School students hold posters while taking part in an awareness campaign to mark World AIDS Day in Amritsar on Monday. PTI

Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, December 1
One of the scariest facts about Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) is that no government data is perfectly reliable. Yet, stats get the better of a sense of fright, especially when these tend to be less alarmist and more empirical.

Consider this: more truck drivers, long cited for carrying the HIV virus, are reporting for AIDS tests, but the number of the HIV-positive among them is dwindling. According to the figures with the Punjab Health Department and the Haryana State AIDS Control Society (HSACS), that's the case with the two states, where a large number of long-distance truck drivers come from.

"We have been pro-active in the case of truck drivers. The state has a lower prevalence figure of .18 per cent than the national average of .27 per cent," says Punjab Director-Health, Dr Karanjit Singh. "We have initiated several new surveys whose results would be out soon," he said.

But NGOs, truckers and government workers warn of a growing threat from intravenous drug users (IDUs). For instance in Himachal Pradesh, HIV positivity has jumped from 4.40 per cent in 2008-09 to 4.89 per cent in 2010-11, posing a new challenge to the National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO). And in Punjab, rampant drug addiction is posing a new challenge, although its neighbour Haryana claims its high risk group includes female sex workers, men having sex with men (MSM) besides the IDUs.

Dr Upendrajeet Singh, Joint Director Punjab Aids Control, said: "We have found many cases of the disease caused by the injectible drugs. Nine ART (Anti-Retrovial Therapy) centres have been opened to facilitate the patients. We hide their names to protect them from discrimination."

Jagjit Mann, an AIDS activist, disagrees, "The state government has not been able to provide relevant information to the patients. Many fall victims to quacks. Women victims suffer even more because of gender bias. Plus, the stigma attached with the disease prevents many from reporting to the ART centre."

There are positive signs. Data available with the Haryana government indicates a clear downward trend in the number of AIDS cases. "There is an overall reduction of annual new HIV infections by 5.8 per cent in Haryana which clearly shows the impact of various interventions of State AIDS Control Society," in charge of the HSACS, Dr. Vijay Garg.

Punjab

Cases: (2006-14): 43, 492 persons reported HIV positive

Fatalities: 3, 750. 60 per cent of the HIV + were males, 35 per cent were adult females, the rest children.

Worst hit: Amritsar has the highest figure of 11,160 while Muktsar has the lowest number of 289 patients.

High risk group: Intravenous drug users (IDUs)

Haryana

Prevalence: Tested: 2.32 lakh patients in 2014-15 until August. 1,774 were found to be positive. In 2011-12, 2.29 lakh were tested of which 3,637 were found to be positive. Source: Haryana State AIDS Control Society (HSACS)

High risk groups: Female sex workers, homosexuals, migrants and (IDUs)

Himachal Pradesh

According to government surveillance study of 2008-09, the prevalence rate of HIV positivity was 4.40%. But it has increased to 4.89% in 2010-11
High risk group: IDUs
HIV positivity increased from 4.40 per cent to 4.89 per cent among IDUs in two years
The state has linked all its 18 blood banks online for facilitating safe blood transfusion
The IDUs being encouraged to use safe syringes and are being counseled to undertake HIV test at the 45 Integrated Counselling and testing centers across the state