The mining and industrial district of Sundargarh is high on the risk of HIV/AIDS, due to industrialisation, even as the health authorities claim a sharp drop in the new HIV infection in the district.
The health administration said this year the district reported 54 new HIV cases, a drop of 20 compared to 2011. Not surprisingly, a majority is recorded from the slums of Rourkela city and the interior Hemgir and Koida blocks having high concentration of coal and iron ore mining operations.
Sundargarh CDMO Dr. Ratnakar Choudhary attributed the spread of the deadly disease to floating population, including migrant workers and other high risk groups like commercial vehicle
drivers. From 2003 till date the district has reported 395 positive cases, 52 deaths and 125 chronic patients are getting anti-retrovial treatment (ART) at the Centre of Rourkela Government Hospital (RGH). The tribal-dominated district has grown on infrastructure to fight the menace with as many as seven Integrated Counselling and Testing Centres (ICTCs) and three Facilitated ICTCs, but high risk area like the remote Koida block has none. Of late, the Odisha State AIDS Control Society has proposed a FICTC for Koida. ADMO (Public Health) Dr. DK Das discounted underreporting of HIV/AIDS cases, adding adequate attention is also given to TB and ante-natal cases.
At the Sundargarh District Headquarters Hospital (SDHH) a function on the theme of ‘Coming To Zero’ was organised on the occasion of the World AIDS Day followed by an awareness rally. District Legal Aid Cell secretary SB Behera, ADMO (Family Welfare) Dr.BL Guru, NRHM District Programme Manager Dipak Sahu and District Public Health official Mahendra Bag spoke. Functions were also held at RGH, Utkalmani Gopabandhu Homeopathic College and Youth Hostel Association of India and NACO.