HIV Numbers amoung Taxi -Drivers in Mumbai Misleading

[Guest guest]

HIV NUMBERS IN TAXI-DRIVERS ARE MISLEADING and UN-SUBSTANTIATED:

The highly exaggerated HIV numbers for Taxi Drivers in Mumbai published in a

section of the press are highly misleading and un-substantiated. Moreover such

kind of alarming and sensationalising reports leads to branding a community with

stigma and will further lead to their discrimination and human rights

violations.

According the report in question, some 9500 Taxi Drivers are HIV positive out of

a total of some 50,000 Taxi Drivers in Mumbai, but without quoting any

scientific study or report. This report has sent shock waves in the city of

Mumbai in general and Taxi Drivers and the HIV-caring community in particular.

Mumbai is no more the AIDS capital of India, but rather the ‘AIDS Control

Capital of the country and HIV infection in the city is not increasing for over

5-6 years as it used to during last decade or so. Peoples Health Organisation

(India); which is India's first NGO that started working against AIDS on

war-footing since 1986, runs a project for Targeted Intervention among Taxi

Drivers for prevention and control of HIV/AIDS since 2002 with the support of

the Mumbai District AIDS Control Society, a city affiliate of the National AIDS

Control Organisation (NACO).

PHO carries on a systematic campaign for education awareness among Taxi Drivers,

most of them hail from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, using a time-tested peer-based

intervention model. Apart from education, there is risk-reduction, behaviour

change communication, condom distribution, treatment of Sexually Transmitted

Diseases and referral for HIV testing to Voluntary Counseling Testing Centres

and

management of HIV Diseases for those infected with HIV.

According to PHO the HIV infection in Taxi Drivers could be a little higher, 2

to 4 %, as compared to the city prevalence of less than 1.5%, but a ten-fold

exaggeration of the figure is criminal and harmful to the entire community of

Taxi Drivers. As it is the unmarried drivers have a lot of difficulty in getting

brides, because

of wrongful branding of ‘Truck-Drivers’ for a long time.

PHO appeals the concerned people to stop panicking and start acting, in an

effort to further reduce the HIV spread, by positive action-plans. Both PHO and

MDACS will provide fullest support for such initiatives.

Dr.I S Gilada

Hon. Secretary General, PHO and

AIDS Society of India

E-mail: <gilada@...>

[Guest guest]

Dear FORUM,

This is in response to Dr. Gilada,s mail on HIV among Taxi drivers in Mumbai.

The problem is the scientific community has not provided accurate figures on HIV

in our country. What is the actual number in India from official source. In such

a situation people will quote fictitious figures. What is the actual figure

among Taxi drivers in Mubai? Has no study been done. has it been published in

any journals? has it not been presented in any of the scientific onferences. Lot

more is expected from the scientific community on HIV/AIDs than what is forth

coming at present.

Yours sincerely,

Rajaratnam Abel.

e-mail: <rajaratnamabel@...>

[Guest guest]

Dear FORUM,

This ref. to Dr. Gilada's posting on HIV Numbers amoung Taxi -Drivers in Mumbai "

Misleading.

Even with the lower numbers this is still a very large number of taxi

drivers. And even with 1% infection rate in the city of Mumbai, which may be the

lowest estimate, this still means that 170,000 people are now living with HIV,

based on a population of 17 million in Mumbai.

What are the plans for treatment of these people?

I recently read that NACO still is not providing anti-retrovirals for

children at its sites, yet when I was in India in March of 2005, I was told that

the treatment of children would be beginning in a very short

time. This seems like a serious violation of human rights, to deny

children access to life saving treatment, when this treatment has now been

available for ten years in many other parts of the world.

Sincerely,

e-mail: <rastern@...>