Mediations help in AIDS fight

KANNUR

: Forget preaching pseudo morality. Targeted interventions among female sex workers and MSM (men who have sex with men) seem to be more helpful in preventing spread of

AIDS

.


Most sex workers have now started engaging in sex with a limited number of clients and that too with only those who are personally known to them, according to people working among such communities.

NGOs working among sex workers said the clients are also ready to undergo frequent medical check-ups.

"Nowadays, not many of them are seen on the streets. They work during daytime and meet only a limited number of clients who are known to them," said Shaji P M, coordinator of Chola, a Kannur-based NGO.

Since the sex workers know most of their clients, they make sure that the ones who come to them undergo medical check-ups for

HIV

and other infections, he said.

There are 749 female sex workers in contact with Chola and nearly 80% of them practice such methods, he said, adding there were 12 HIV-infected sex workers here a few years ago but none of them are working in the sex industry now. With the advent of smartphones and social media, the coordination has become easy for them and it has reduced the risk.

According to Snehatheeram, another NGO, sexual minorities, including members of the MSM community, have also been following such methods . In the MSM community, there are people from all classes and now most of them indulge in sexual activity with known partners and it has reduced the risk of HIV infection, said an employee of the NGO. Thanks to such interventions initiated by the Kerala State AIDS Control Society (KSACS), with the support of the NGOs, the risk of HIV infection has come down considerably, said Dennis Joseph, joint director of the society. "The spread of HIV among sex workers has been reduced from 1.75% nearly a decade back to 0.01% now," he said.

Last year, only four cases of HIV infection were reported among the sex workers in the state, and only two of them were registered with KSACS and two were outsiders, said KSACS.

Similar interventions were made among drug users which helped them curb the habit of sharing syringes. Moreover, after realizing that they resort to crime to get money to procure drugs, facility was provided to get them drug, as part of the treatment, he said.

As a result, the prevalence of HIV infection rate among drug abusers has come down from 10.5% to 0.41% in the past one decade, said the KSACS joint director.