The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : HIV risk perception among students has come down: Subburaj

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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

HIV risk perception among students has come down: Subburaj

Special Correspondent

CHENNAI: While it was encouraging to note increasing levels of condom use across all high risk groups, it was a cause for concern that HIV risk perception among students had come down, Principal Secretary, Health, V.K.Subburaj, said.

Commenting on the results of the Behaviour Surveillance Survey (BSS) carried out by AIDS Prevention And Control (APAC) Project in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry, Mr. Subburaj said that it was unacceptable for risk perception to fall, especially among youngsters, both girls and boys. “Despite years of information communication, we have not managed to get through to some groups and discrimination and stigma still continue. So we have to modify our information and communication strategies years,” he added.

Clearly there is a need to step up activities of the Red Ribbon Clubs, started in educational institutions to spread awareness of HIV/AIDS, he suggested. However, if all agencies focussing on their allocated tasks properly, then it was possible to reach a stage of zero new infections, Mr.Subburaj said.

Earlier, he released a monograph on the results of the 12th wave of the BSS in Tamil Nadu and the seventh survey in Puducherry since 2001. The survey was conducted across 13 different population groups in Chennai, Coimbatore, Madurai, Theni, Salem, Vellore, Erode, Nagercoil, Dindigul, Palani, Tiruchirapalli and Tuticorin. In Pondicherry, the survey covered Puducherry and Karaikal districts. Kancheepuram, Villupuram, Tiruchi, Karur, Kanyakumari, Tirunelveli and Tuticorin were covered as Intensive Intervention Districts of APAC.

The population groups were female sex workers, truckers and helpers, male youth in slums, factory workers, migrant workers, injecting drug users, men who have sex with men, transgenders, male patients at STD Clinics, Students and for the first time, People Living with HIV were included.

The key results indicated that there were both positives and negatives, Bimal Charles, director, APAC, said. Knowledge on at least two correct methods of preventing Sexually Transmitted Infections and HIV was close to 100 percent among all population groups except among female factory and migrant workers. Again, respondents almost universally reported that consistent condom usage prevents HIV, but more efforts are required to counter myths and misconceptions in intervention programs to spread awareness of STI and HIV.

As far as condom use goes, while it is high with paid partners, usage with non-paid or regular partners is comparatively lower. Needle sharing behaviour among IDUs has been showing a declining trend across all the waves and in the current wave, around 43.0 per cent reported such behaviour.

The incidence of STI is low in all categories and the treatment-seeking-behaviour from a qualified health practitioner continued to be very high, with a majority approaching a government STD clinic for the treatment.

There has been an increase in testing practices among all groups except migrant workers, factory workers and youth in slums. This is mainly due to the fact that risk perception among them is low, APAC officials pointed out.

S.Vijayakumar, project director, Tamil Nadu State AIDS Control Society, said the key now is to use the lessons of the BSS to translate interventions into action.

Also indicating that a “zero-infection” rate was within the realm of achievement in the State, he urged all partners to ensure that healthcare is provided comprehensively and cost effectively to all those who need it.

E.S.Krishnamoorthy, honorary secretary, Voluntary Health Services, said the studying behaviour is important as it helps to plan for the future, prevent further infections, and stem the tide of the epidemic, at least in this instance. There are many lessons from the data of the BSS that could change the way policy is drawn up in future, he added.

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