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| J&K seventh in country among states reporting deaths due to AIDS | | Alarm bells for J&K govt! | | Syed Junaid Hashmi
JAMMU, Aug 27: Believe it or not, Jammu and Kashmir is ranked seventh among the states which reported increase in deaths due to AIDS in the year 2009.
Jammu and Kashmir reported 61 deaths due to AIDS in the year 2009. This number is seventh highest in the country. Maharashtra takes the lead with 1117 deaths, Goa is second with 130, Chandigarh third with 110, Jharkhand is fourth with 84 deaths, Bengal fourth with 82 and Assam sixth with 67 followed by Jammu and Kashmir (61), Andhra Pradesh (53), Delhi (48) and Gujarat (39).
The number is surprising since the Jammu and Kashmir government has been negating this threat and stating that AIDS is under control and there is no need to press panic button. However, fifth report of the parliamentary committee on empowerment of women pertaining to "Women victims OF HIV/AIDS" maintains that number of deaths due to AIDS have increased during the last three years.
According to the statistics quoted by the report, Jammu and Kashmir reported 42 deaths in the year 2007, 39 in 2008 and then, an alarming number of 61 deaths. The statistics are interesting since the state has witnessed sharp increase in deaths due to AIDS after the year 2007. Till 2006, J&K kept reporting nil death due to AIDS. Further, state would time and again boost of negligible umber of AIDS deaths.
However, things have begun changing. According to this report, J&K reported prevalence of AIDS among 553 persons which included 348 male, 166 female and 39 children during the year 2008-09. In comparison to this, the number was 495 for the year 2007-08 which included 318 male, 128 female and 49 children. This increase is despite government claims of having increased intervention, surveillance, health camps, AIDS prevention seminars and awareness programmes.
Report further affirms that Jammu and Kashmir is witnessing surge in HIV+ cases. It maintains that 2649 HIV+ cases were registered in the year 2010 while it the number was 2222 in 2009. Of these, 658 were suffering from AIDS (Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome) with 76 in Kashmir valley and 582 in Jammu.
Report further maintains that women in Jammu and Kashmir have little control or negotiating power in sexual relationships, including marriage while adding that abstinence and condom use are usually not the options available to women since social norms are that women are not supposed to be sexually knowledgeable.
It maintains that economic independence acts as a key to management of HIV infection and often due to absence of resources; women are denied access to services, information and means of livelihood and good nutrition, if HIV infected.
In the report, committee has recommended that state government should take necessary steps to provide anti-retroviral treatment on top priority to all the children who are living with HIV/AIDS and also establish more community care centers for children living with HIV in consultation/coordination with the ministries of women and child development, social justice and empowerment and human resource development.
Committee has recommended that state government should conduct a quick survey to ascertain impact of the awareness generation programmes on women in general and the women who have been living with HIV/AIDS. It has added that such a survey will bring out a clear picture of the impact of AIDS awareness programmes and thus help in formulation of effective targeted intervention programmes. |
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