Aid sought from UK to fight HIV

Sumit Hakhoo

Tribune News Service

Jammu, July 4

With injecting drug users emerging as major spreaders of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in J&K, the Department of International Development, United Kingdom, has come forward to aid the fight against acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS).

Kathua and Anantnag, the two worst-affected districts, will be given focus under the programme followed by other districts of the state for which NGOs have been asked to submit their requests.

The department is a British government agency working on elimination of poverty and improving healthcare facilities across the globe. It has been providing grants to India for the past few years.

“Funds are routed and monitored by the Centre. Components of the project are prevention, care, treatment and targeted interventions for high-risk groups by utilising civil society organisations for providing access of vulnerable populations. NGOs and individuals social workers can apply for the grants,” said Dr Mushtaq Ahmed Rather, director, J&K State AIDS Control Society.

Drug use is the major reason for HIV virus transmission in J&K. Apart from this, women sex workers and truck drivers are the main transmitters of the disease. Experts say due to conservative social norms, many carrying the virus remain unidentified as they don’t come forward for tests or discontinue visits to clinics.

“The youth are falling in the trap of opiate substances and the threat has increased in the past decade. We need to rethink about the traditional approach to deal with the spread of HIV. Stringent laws are important to curb drug mafia but social approach is also needed to reach the vulnerable population,” said Pallavi Thakur, project director, Society for Promotion of Youth and Masses, which runs a de-addiction centre.

Following the direction of the Union Ministry of Health, J&K has started a community based testing with focus on families in rural and far-flung areas. A first-of-its-kind project to create a detailed data bank of drug users in J&K can greatly contribute to targeted intervention efforts of the government.