The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : AIDS threat looms large over Warangal

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Mar 31, 2005

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

AIDS threat looms large over Warangal

By Gollapudi Srinivasa Rao

MAHABUBABAD (WARANGAL DT), MARCH 30. Warangal, which figures in the list of districts with increasing incidence of AIDS, is now slowly moving up that list.

The disease is on the rise in the Mahabubabad division in the district. Consumption of illicitly distilled liquor and flesh trade too is on an upward swing here.

According to Mahabubabad area hospital Superintendent, B. Nehru, 57 patients were tested HIV positive in 2002, 119 in 2003 and 152 in 2004 and 21 till February this year. These figures represent only those who underwent a blood test at the Government Hospital. Not many come forward to undergo tests for fear of proving positive.

Break-up

A break-up shows that 192 patients were men and 157, women. Of them, 321 were married and 28 unmarried, 108 literate and 241 illiterate. "Transmission of the disease is primarily through sexual intercourse. Due to lack of awareness, even the needle used on an HIV positive patient is used on others,'' explained Dr Nehru.

With premature deaths resulting due to high rate of consumption of liquor, women become widowed at early age. Many become destitute with none to care for them and their children. A majority of them eke out a living labouring hard, vending peanuts in trains and a few of them even forced to get into flesh trade enticing the passengers in the trains. "It is the disease being sold by the poor and the rich are buying it," pointed out Dr Nehru.

Blood tests

Following the alarming increase in the AIDS patients, most of the patients approaching the Government Hospitals, particularly pregnant women, are being subjected to blood tests. To prevent transmission of AIDS from mothers to children, pregnant women are being asked to go for caesarean.

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