Date:03/12/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/12/03/stories/2008120354540600.htm

Andhra Pradesh - Visakhapatnam

Project to identify migrant labour in high-risk group to check AIDS

Santosh Patnaik

APSACS entrusts two NGOs to do mapping of hotspots

VISAKHAPATNAM: In a first of its kind exercise, the AP State AIDS Control Society (APSACS) has launched a target intervention project in the city to identify migrant workers in high-risk group and prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS. After careful study, the APSACS has entrusted two NGOs to do mapping of hotspots and change the behaviour pattern of 10,000 migrant workers, who have shifted from Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand and Orissa. The workers are both skilled and semi-skilled and most of them are employed in various industries as contract labour.

Incidentally, among population covered under the project devised to focus on communities as per National AIDS Control Programme Phase-III, 20 per cent are women. All of them have come leaving their families at distant places and generally indulge in sexual activity during weekends with either commercial sex workers or some of the migrant labourers, who volunteer to entertain them as part-time sex workers to make a fast buck.

Preliminary assessment of the situation is stated to be very grave due to their high-risk behaviour despite their awareness on condom usage. The main handicap they are facing is with regard to information on where to approach for treatment/care for sexually transmitted infections (STI) and HIV/AIDS.

Objective

“Our objective is to map them and later interact with them through voluntary peer leaders so that their behaviour will change thereby preventing the acquisition of the virus by their family members and other partners,” R.V. Chandravadan, Director of APSACS told The Hindu. He said depending on the success the project would be replicated in other parts of the State. The NGOs Nature, which runs a primary health centre for HIV/AIDS at Paderu and AIDS Control and Community Education Programme Trust (ACCEPT) have identified the hotspots to implement the project.

Dr. P. Rajendra Prasad, Additional District Medical and Health Officer (AIDS), said the targeted population would be motivated to go to nearest Integrated Counselling Testing Centre and if required they would be referred to Anti-Retroviral Therapy units set up at King George Hospital and other health care centres.