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HIV epidemic hits vein drug takers

Common man no longer safe, say experts

Naimul Haq
The HIV is spreading in epidemic proportions among a vulnerable group, posing serious threat to the common man, a survey of the International Centre for Diarrhoeal Diseases Research, Bangladesh (ICDDR'B) to be launched soon said.
The 'Fifth Round Second Generation Surveillance' survey says the virulent virus that causes Aids has crossed the borderline of 5 percent and hit a dangerous 8.9 percent mark among intravenous drug users, up from 4 percent in
2002.
According to the United Nation's method of gauging Aids risk, if lire virus is found among more than 5 percent of a vulnerable group, it is considered that the society is facing an Aids epidemic.
"It clearly shows the general population is no longer safe," an expert said.
The spread of the disease among other high-risk groups - commercial sex workers, drug users, truckers, rickshawpullers and migrant workers — was also on significant rise.
"The message is clear and loud,' another expert said, adding. "The figures send an alarm and call for real action."
The study, based on blood tests of 10,445 people from high-risk groups, however found less than one percent respondents positive for HIV infection indicating that Bangladesh was still a low prevalencenation.
The study showed low prevalence of HIV among hermaphrodites, male sex workers and heroin addicts. It showed 0.3 percent HIV infection among male sex workers, 1 percent among rickshawpullers in central Bangladesh and 0.8 percent among heroin abusers.
But the high-risk behaviours of the drug users, including blood donation and sex-buying from commercial sex workers, other active high-risk groups and people's close contact with high prevalence regions make the society vulnerable for the deadly disease.
The report showed 6.7 percent of the drug users donated blood in central Bangladesh, 5.9 percent in a northwestern and 4.2 percent in another northwester survey area.
A significant number of them also buy sex from commercial sex workers, who run a HIV prevalence rate of 0.5 percent on average and 2 percent in northwestern region.
The study also showed syphilis, one of the sexually transmitted infections, ran as high as 35.5 percent and hepatitis C between 25 percent and 73 percent in its survey areas.
The study showed about 2 percent of sex workers in the northwestern region had HIV infection with 15 percent of the group tested positive for syphilis.
Twenty-eight percent truckers and 67 percent rickshawpullers bought sex while away from home last year, the study said.
The surveillance for the prevalence of HIV, hepatitis C and sexually transmitted infections (STI) was commissioned by the National AIDS /STD Programme.
"Several other factors suggest the risk of a devastating epidemic. Bangladesh is neighbor of major epidemics in India with a good deal of migration across the borders," an expert said.