AIDS a major cause for worry in Surat

SURAT, Dec 1: Even as a number of rallies, functions and awareness camps were held in the city on Wednesday to mark World AIDS day, exper...

SURAT, Dec 1: Even as a number of rallies, functions and awareness camps were held in the city on Wednesday to mark World AIDS day, experts working in the fields of AIDS prevention and control are concerned over the increasing cases of the disease in South Gujarat, especially Surat.

For two factors, the migrant population and commercial sex workers, associated with the city have been identified as “high risk groups” by agencies working in the field.

Speaking to Express Newsline, Dr Vikasben Desai, head of department of the Preventive and Social Medicine, (PSM), said that while the data on those actually succumbing to the disease was not available, 74 of the total 570 HIV cases officially reported throughout the State are from Surat.

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“These are of course figures for full-blown cases that fit into the definition of AIDS by the WHO,” she pointed out, however, adding that the figures could be higher as many cases were not reported in the first place. “But we are chalking out a mechanism by which we can gather data even from private centres,” she stated.

Quantifying the risk group has also not been possible as whatever figures are available are based on studies by independent organisations. However the PSM department here conducted a study in 1994, which had identified prisoners, SRP personnel, commercial sex workers and STD patients as high risk groups. It plans to update the study this year.

Figures available from the PSM department here reveal that about four per cent of this high risk group was affected by HIV. This infection rate has increased since the study five years ago, doctors opine.

In addition, the blood sample study carried out throughout the State found out that that 0.4 per cent of all blood donors had HIV. The corresponding figure for Surat is 0.5 per cent. “This method is however not reflective of the whole as one person might donate blood more than once,” Dr Desai said, adding that 0.83 per cent of all pregnant women screened for HIV were found to be positive.

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However, what is the most worrying is that of the total 455 STD patients screened in all four medical colleges of the state, 12.3 per cent were found to be HIV positive. The corresponding figure for Surat is more than double at 26.1 per cent. “This is indeed worrying as far as the future of the city is concerned,” commented Desai.