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Tamil Nadu among six high-risk states
Madurai, Aug 02: Tamil Nadu is among the six high-risk states in the country with the highest percentage of HIV/AIDS patients.
Madurai, Aug 02: Tamil Nadu is among the six high-risk states in the country with the highest percentage of HIV/AIDS patients.
Disclosing this at a three day 'thematic experience sharing and performance improvement meeting' here yesterday, K Deenabandhu, project director, Tamil Nadu State Aids Control Society, said that from 1988, the state recorded more than one
per cent of cases.
Though the percentage of HIV/AIDS cases had come down to 0.8 per cent last year, some districts including Madurai, Tirunelveli, Salem and Vellore were still under high risk area, he said.
Observing that figures for Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STD) were disturbing, Deenabandhu said 21 per cent of women and ten per cent of men suffered from std in the state and these were not just high-risk groups or sex workers but ordinary people.
The society would come out with strategies to curb the spread of HIV/AIDS, including health education for students from ninth to eleventh class. Initially, the programme would be introduced in 1000 schools, he said.
A recent survey had revealed that a large number of commercial sex workers still had misconceptions about sexual behaviour and HIV/AIDS, he said.
Bureau Report
Though the percentage of HIV/AIDS cases had come down to 0.8 per cent last year, some districts including Madurai, Tirunelveli, Salem and Vellore were still under high risk area, he said.
Observing that figures for Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STD) were disturbing, Deenabandhu said 21 per cent of women and ten per cent of men suffered from std in the state and these were not just high-risk groups or sex workers but ordinary people.
The society would come out with strategies to curb the spread of HIV/AIDS, including health education for students from ninth to eleventh class. Initially, the programme would be introduced in 1000 schools, he said.
A recent survey had revealed that a large number of commercial sex workers still had misconceptions about sexual behaviour and HIV/AIDS, he said.
Bureau Report