Orissa villagers boycott HIV positive family

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Orissa villagers boycott HIV positive family

Mar 6, 2006, 17:13, Reviewed by: Dr. Priya Saxena

" The villagers did not even allow me to draw water from the village

tubewell. Even the local government hospital denied treatment saying

that they don't have the required facilities to treat HIV infected

patients, "

By IANS, In a familiar story of ostracism, an HIV positive woman has

been shunted out of an Orissa village and her two children have been

confined to a corner of the classroom in their school.

Sanjukta, 34, lost her husband to AIDS two months ago. While she and

her elder daughter have been infected, the younger daughter is

healthy, said Dr P. Pradhan of the Kendrapada district hospital.

Soon after her husband Pradeep Nayak's death in January, residents

of Patarpur met to decide to isolate the family.

" The villagers did not even allow me to draw water from the village

tubewell. Even the local government hospital denied treatment saying

that they don't have the required facilities to treat HIV infected

patients, " Sanjukta told IANS.

Last month, she left the village to live with her father in

Kasanaghanta village, 20 km from the district headquarter of

Kendrapada.

Here, too, the family has been shunned by the other villagers with

teachers and students at the local primary school refraining from

even touching her daughters. " The sisters are made to sit in a

corner of the class, " said Sanjukta.

At least 31 people in Kendrapada have been infected with AIDS in the

last two years.

According to UNAIDS, at least 285 people have died of AIDS in Orissa

between 2000-2005.

- Indo-Asian News Service

http://www.rxpgnews.com/medicalnews/healthcare/india/article_3588.sht

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