AIDS in Madhya Pradesh

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AIDS claiming victims in Sagar

Monday, June 12th, 2006

Bhopal - The deadly AIDS disease is stalking Sagar district in

Madhya Pradesh, claiming five victims. More than 50 people have

tested positive for HIV.

Of the 53 infected with the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) in

Sagar, 180 km from here, 19 have reached the status of full blown

AIDS, including one woman, 16 men and two eunuchs, health officials

said.

`While five HIV positive cases were detected in the district in

March, 10 HIV cases came to light in April and May,' said an

official of the Madhya Pradesh State AIDS Control Society (MPSACS).

He said the number of HIV infected people could be much higher as

many do not come for checkups at the various health camps held from

time to time.

The first AIDS camp was held in the district in 2002. In 2003, 12

HIV cases were detected. In the last two and a half years, 41 new

cases were found.

The disturbing fact was that many of the HIV victims were young

people aged 21 to 30 years, many of them unmarried.

`People between 21 and 30 years have registered a sharp rise in AIDS

cases. Many men in their early 20s are becoming most susceptible,'

said the MPSACS official.

`Of the total 1,701 AIDS patients in Madhya Pradesh, 38 percent

belong to the 21-30 age group. This is just one percent less than

those from the 31-40 age group,' he said.

Around three quarters were infected after practising unsafe sex. He

said 72 percent of the total AIDS patients in the state were men.

In 2004, the number of HIV positive cases stood at 205. The figure

rose to 359 the next year. The first AIDS case in the state was

recorded in 1988.

The state AIDS control society is making every effort to tackle the

disease, but a lot needs to be done, said Shraddha Bose, deputy

director of MPSACS

http://indiaenews.com/2006-06/11053-aids-claiming-victims-sagar.htm