Kamakhyanagar: Despite a slew of measures, the AIDS situation in Kamakhyanagar subdivision of Dhenkanal district continues to remain grim.
As many as 186 AIDS patients have been identified in last 13 years and 54 patients have so far succumbed to the deadly disease. 11 patients were detected this year till July.
In order to control the disease and provide treatment and counselling to the patients, an Integrated Counseling and Testing Centre (ICTC) was made functional at Kamakhyanagar subdivisional hospital in October 2006.
Through this centre, a total of 60,540 patients have been counselled so far till July end this year. It includes 28,967 males and 31,573 females including 23,765 pregnant women. Similarly, after counselling, 26,116 males and 28,953 females including 23,149 pregnant women were tested for AIDS. And, from the 119 males and 67 females including 18 pregnant women were the confirmed cases of AIDS.
The subdivision has so far witnessed 54 deaths in the last 13 years. They include 40 males, 14 females including three pregnant women.
Notwithstanding the huge amount of money being spent by the government to control and eradicate the disease, the number of infected patients keeps rising in Kamakhyanagar subdivision and this has been a cause of headache for the health department.
At the ICTC, there is a facility to identify the infected patient. If a patient comes voluntarily for testing, his/ her blood sample is collected and tested. There is a strict direction to keep their identities a top-secret as they tend to be victims of social stigma.
But the patients after being identified are not turning up for treatment. Shame and fear of ostracisation are being said to be the strong reason behind their reluctance for continued treatment.
According to Prafulla Kumar Sahu, a counsellor at ICTC, the medicine is being provided free of cost. Yet the patients are hiding the disease fearing banishment. While most of the patients are not taking medicine, the ones that are taking are not regular with the treatment.
As many as 115 patients from Kamakhynagar subdivision have been travelling to Angul to avail antiretroviral therapy (ART) and taking medicine accordingly.
That said, the major cause of worry is: there are 15 such patients in Kamakhyanagar subdivision that have never been either to Angul or the ICTC at the subdivision. It is easy to comprehend that these patients are afraid of being identified by friends, relatives and neighbours, said a counsellor.
The fear of ostracisation among them is so intense that they are even not availing the benefits of various schemes such as Biju Pucca Ghar Yojana and Madhu Babu Pension Yojana. There have been provisions that AIDS patients are to be included as the beneficiaries of the above-mentioned schemes.
According to local intelligentsia, the disease and the associated stigma can be controlled and done away with only through the awareness at grassroots level.
“Awareness should not be confined to the government level only. The need of the hour is that the message of AIDS’ seriousness should reach one and all families. Organisations, youths, college and school students must be made aware of the severity of the disease. This will go a long way in controlling the disease. This apart, the disease can be defeated through yoga and pranayam,” observed social activist Mangatlal Kataruka.
“Awareness from grassroots level and involvement of more and more youths can make the movement against AIDS a success,” Sahu added.
PNN