J&K: After militancy, AIDS scare rocks the Valley

March 14, 2006

After militancy, AIDS scare rocks the Valley

Ishfaq-ul-Hassan

Tuesday, March 14, 2006 00:01 IST

SRINAGAR: The deadly Acquired Immuno Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) has

spread to Jammu and Kashmir as well. The state has 745 HIV positive

cases, including 95 full-blown AIDS patients.

In a written reply in the state assembly, Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi

Azad, who also holds the health portfolio, said that 745 confirmed

HIV positive cases had been reported in voluntary counselling and

testing centres in different hospitals of the state.

" Around 191 such cases have been provided free treatment in various

hospitals in Jammu and Kashmir. All HIV/AIDS patients are being

provided free medicines for opportunistic infections at government

medical colleges in Jammu and Srinagar and the Sher-i-Kashmir

Institute of Medical Science (SKIMS) in Srinagar, " Azad said.

Alarmed by the number of HIV positive cases, the J & K government has

decided to launch a massive campaign to make the general populace of

the traditionally conservative state aware of the HIV/AIDS.

The chief minister said about Rs3.6 million had been released in

2004 for the implementation of an awareness campaign in 123 rural

and urban blocks of the state. He said a massive campaign would be

launched in urban, rural and slum blocks of the state to spread

awareness about AIDS/HIV. Forty awareness camps are to be held per

block.

Sociologists in Kashmir see the trend as disturbing but not alarming

as the number of cases, given the population, are comparatively

less.

" The number is a wake-up call for us. We should take steps to

prevent spreading of infection in the state, " said Dr Sheikh

Khursheed-ul-Islam, a noted sociologist who works as an assistant

professor at the Institute of Management and Public Administration.

He added that the, " The reason for less number of cases is that we

are predominately conservative society and sex is still taboo in the

state. "

Dr Sheikh, however, called for launching a massive campaign in rural

areas so that the isolated cases can also be detected. " There might

be cases in some areas which might have gone unreported. It is

necessary to identify them, " he said.

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