AIDS DAMAGES HUMAN RESOURCES

The HIV rampantly damaging the valuable Human resources of the East Godavari district as the Centuries old and the part of the culture of the Godavari districts, the prostitution still continues profusely. According to unofficial sources there was around 60 thousand HIV/AIDS patients are living in the district and adding more than 8 thousand new victims every year. As the anti AIDS campaign created lot of awareness among educated youth and men, still the number of HIV carriers increasing alarmingly. According to one Doctor number of educated teens were affecting to the HIV. The Doctor anonymously told that the 4 youth, who were under 20years old, were diagnosed lost month and he revealed that they informed him, they were frequently visiting sex workers. The Doctor also disclosed that the rural youth who does not know about the HIV were affecting severely. More than 60percent of the patients were 25-45 years age group and nearly 10percent were belongs to 19-25 years age group. Clandestinely the prostitution continues extensively in the district. In many towns like Kakinada many sex workers roams on the roads, bus stand, near cinema halls and important places in broad light to attract the paramours. One Government doctor told the HIV infected prostitutes were also continuing their profession to feed themselves. During this course many teenagers were dragged into the trap, virtually a death trap. After knowing this fact the officials were decided to vigorously campaign in schools and colleges to create awareness among students. According to official sources 95percent of the HIV/AIDS were affected due to sexual relationship with the HIV carrier. Three percent were children of the effected woman and the remaining two percent were affected through the infected needles and infected blood transfusion. But the AIDS control Nodal officer M. Pavan Kumar told that the number of the new infects were slow down slightly this year comparatively previous years in the district and there were only 25,825 HIV/AIDS patients in the District. According to him there were 14,342 patients in March 2005 (9.74 percent more than the previous year), it was raised by 9.92percet to 20,884 by March 2006 and now the figure reached to the 25,825 at the rate of 9.69 percent by the end of October 2006. Pavan Kumar told that the anti retroviral drugs were supplied to the patients by the Government general Hospital here and providing CD 4 count tests free of cost to the white ration card holders. In the meanwhile the private doctors were mercilessly looting the patients. It is learnt that a Doctor collected RS.2lakh for treatment from a affluent women recently, but recently she was diagnosed as negative by the GGH doctors here.