On the eve of World AIDS day, awareness campaign were held in various districts in Haryana state by the district administration as well as in educational institutes and it was alarming on the report of state health department that the disease is fast spreading in the state especially in Ambala, Yamunanagar and Kurukshetra districts. The Financial World had a detailed discussion with Dr B.B. Lala in-charge Anti Retro Viral (ARV) Centre in Sector 10 Polyclinic Ambala City who told that as many as 411 new cases of patients suffering from HIV AIDS have been registered in this centre in past 10 months from month January till October this year. He disclosed that on an average two patients are detected suffering from this dreaded disease every month in Ambala district alone, which is a matter of concern.
According to Dr Deepak Nodal Officer ARV Centre at PGI Rohtak, 9000 HIV positive patients are being treated presently at PGI which also include nearly 1500 pregnant weomen having HIV positive symptoms and timely treatment can save expected babies to large extent. He told that patients suffering from AIDS are given Rs 2250 towards financial aid by the state government Haryana. He told that many times HIV patients also suffer from TB or Black Jaundice.
Information reveals that apart from Ambala, state government had approved proposal for setting up ARV centre at Yamunanagar and Kurukshetra also and the proposal is yet hanging on fire without action. There is immediate need for opening ARV at Yamunanagar where old Hameed is known as Hot Spot area in the district having sufficient patients suffering from HIV AIDs. Dr. Lala told that large number of AIDS patients are visiting ARVAmbala centre quite often for the treatment from Yamunanagar and Kurukshetra. Dr .Lala told that in-spite of approval for a ARV centre at Kurukshetra no action has been taken by the state government so far and patients suffering from HIV AIDS are visiting ART centre at Ambala for treatment facing harassment.
Dr. Lala told that during case study of large number of patients suffering from HIV AIDS it was detected that male sex workers, migrant laborers, truck drivers, jail prisoners, drugs and liquor addicts and those carrying infection while indulged in unsafe sex were found HIV positive. It was detected that in many cases the infection was seen due to use of single syringe by several while injecting drugs in the body during a party or youths residing in hostels and PG centers usually take drugs for fun sake by a single syringe or neglect during blood transfusion when a single syringe is used for several due to utter neglect. Dr. Lala disclosed that total number of 2712 HIV cases have been registered at Ambala ARV centre so far.
Apart from ARV Center at Ambala City, in past sometime nearly 150 patients have been detected suffering from HIV AIDS during OPD at the civil hospital Ambala. According to the civil hospital records samples of total number of 16294 suspected patients were collected, besides samples of another 5890 pregnant women were also collected and examined in past 10 months, of them only seven pregnant women were detected HIV positive and four women had delivered child. According to CMO Ambala district prior to delivery of child viral load test is carried on these women at the hospital to find out possibility of newly born baby suffering from AIDS symptoms. He told that newly born babies delivered by HIV positive suspected mothers are kept under observation for a period of 18 months after the delivery. CMO told that DBS samples of newly born babies is sent to AIMS New Delhi for a clean chit and an anti-body test of the child is carried after every six months to make sure that the child has not been infected due to breast feeding the infected mother and in case of finding any symptoms the new born baby is medically treated to save his or her life.
