Epi Updates (Times of India and Deccan Chronicle)

 

‘AIDS under control in Kerala’

TNN | Feb 12, 2012
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kochi/AIDS-under-control-in-Kerala/articleshow/11854899.cms?prtpage=1

KOCHI: Kerala had managed to control HIV/AIDS and the number of affected persons was less compared to other states, said Dr M Prasannakumar of the Kerala State AIDS Control Society at the public health conference at IMA House on Saturday. He said that 2,200 new cases were being reported every year in the state but the number was minimal. He said that nearly 60% of HIV positive persons in Kerala were employed outside the state. Of the 10,000 pregnant women in the state, seven were tested positive. "We could trace 86 HIV positive pregnant women last year," Dr Prasannakumar said.

A total of 6,000 persons are undergoing treatment for HIV/AIDS in the state. The number of HIV-affected persons is high in districts that are closer to the Tamil Nadu border. Dr K Suresh, epidemiologist and public health consultant of the World Bank in India, said that the standard of public health education in the country was declining. "Even universities are not following a uniform syllabus on public health," he said. Health experts discussed a variety of topics including vector management, community-based palliative care and maternal health interventions. The conference will conclude on Sunday with a session on developing standardized competency framework for public health professionals in India. The valedictory function will have B Ekbal, former vice-chancellor of Kerala University, as the chief guest.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kochi/AIDS-under-control-in-Kerala/articleshow/11854899.cms?prtpage=1

Palakkad tops in HIV/AIDS cases

February 12, 2012 By Vinod Nedumudy DC Kochi

http://www.deccanchronicle.com/print/94301

Don’t be surprised to know that the district that cares the most for the bed-ridden is also the district having the most number of HIV/AIDS patients in the state. Palakkad has reported the highest number of HIV/AIDS patients in the state, 2,825 persons, according to the latest statistics released by the Kerala AIDS Control Society. In another key finding, the society has detected that 2,200 persons are detected with HIV every year in the state. Of 10,000 pregnant women, seven are being detected with HIV/AIDS, while in 2011 alone 86 pregnant women were detected with the deadly disease. The total number of people identified with the infection across the state is 15,000 While four in every 1,000 sex workers in other districts are found infected with HIV, 36 sex workers in Palakkad contracted the disease. “The sex workers in other districts are better paid than those in Palakkad and hence the number of clients per each sex worker a day in other districts is 1 to 2 while in Palakkad it is 5 to 6 per day. Hence the chances of contracting the disease are on the upper side in Palakkad,” according to Dr M. Prasanna Kumar, team leader and head of technical support unit for Kerala State AIDS Control Society.

The maximum cases are reported from Chittur, Alathur and Palakkad taluks. Another interesting fact is that even agriculture labourers are found infected with the disease in Palakkad while it is nil in other districts. The proximity of Palakkad to Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu where the prevalence rate of AIDS is over one percent, is cited as the main reason for the high incidence. The illicit liquor trade flourishing in the district is another reason. Close on the heels is Thrissur, with 2,012 registered cases and Thiruvanathapuram follows suit with 1,700 HIV cases. The least affected is Wayanad with 200 cases, while in Ernakulam the numbers rests at 1,000. Low prevalence is also reported from Alappuzha, Idukki and Kottayam. The society is yet to study the reasons for the high prevalence in Thrissur.

http://www.deccanchronicle.com/print/94301

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