KENDRAPARA: At least 168 AIDS-affected persons, including 65 women, have succumbed to the disease in the district in the last 15 years.
Informing this, Chief District Medical Officer (CDMO) Dr Baishnaba Charan Sahoo said since 2003, the district has identified 712 HIV-affected persons, including 435 men, 235 women and 42 children. Of the 47 AIDS-affected persons, 18 are women, he added.
In order to prevent the birth of HIV children, Odisha AIDS Control Society (OACS) has been providing ART drops under its PPCT programme to all HIV and AIDS- affected pregnant women. “One ART drop was not enough to help the HIV-affected pregnant woman to deliver normal child. For this, we have been giving three drops to them from 2015,” he added.
All infants born to HIV-positive mothers should receive a course of antiretroviral treatment as soon as possible after birth. The treatment should be linked to the mother’s course of antiretroviral drugs and the infant feeding method, he said.
The health officials have already identified high risk areas in Pattamundai, Rajnagar, Aul and Rajkanika blocks in the district.