Tripura is seeing a very disturbing and concerning HIV outbreak with over 800 students being infected and 47 students losing their life.
HIV (human immunodeficiency virus)/AIDS (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome) is actually at an epidemic level in India with the National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO) claiming that 3.14 million with HIV/AIDS are living in India in 2023 and currently has the third-largest population with people having HIV/AIDS.
Reports have been coming out of how Tripura, is dealing with a major crisis of HIV with the infection stretching across as many as 220 schools and 24 colleges. This has raised questions on the ease of transmission, lack of awareness, and what administrations are doing to curb it.
What Is Going On In Tripura?
The Tripura State AIDS Control Society (TSACS) recently at a media workshop jointly organized by the Tripura Journalist Union, Web Media Forum, and TSACS spoke about the HIV outbreak the state has been experiencing.
A senior official from TSACS said, “We have so far registered 828 students who are HIV positive. Out of them, 572 students are still alive and we have lost 47 people due to the dreaded infection. Many of the students have migrated out of Tripura for higher studies in coveted institutions across the country.”
According to reports the Tripura AIDS Control Society has also claimed that students across 220 schools and 24 colleges have been identified to be taking injectable drugs. As per a senior TSACS official, recent data also shows that five to seven new cases of HIV are being registered every single day.
The Join Director of TSACS, Subhrajit Bhattacharjee, also said, “So far, 220 schools and 24 colleges and universities have been identified where students are found to be addicted to intervenous drug abuse. We have collected the data from a total of 164 health facilities across the state. Reports are collected from almost all the blocks and subdivisions before making this presentation.”
Dr Samarpita Dutta, Director of the Tripura State AIDS Control Society (TSACS) also commented on this saying, “HIV infections aren’t new here,” adding “Our first case was in 1996. Since then, the TSACS has been running its HIV/AIDS control program. We target high-risk groups, offer free treatment, conduct awareness campaigns, and screen high-risk individuals. We have 154 centers for HIV testing and counseling.”
Dr Dutta did clarify that the number of 800 plus students testing positive covers a period from April 2007 to May 2024 and is not a recent issue as some media houses are painting it as.
Read More: ‘Can Get Drugs Outside Police Station,’ Student Exposes Incompetency Of Authorities
This is not to say that HIV/AIDS is not a problem for the state with the numbers jumping from a measly 11 in 2015-16 to 757 positive cases in 2022 alone.
A senior TSACS official also commented on the total number of cases so far and the gender disparity between them saying, “Till May 2024, we have registered 8,729 people in the ART (Antiretroviral Therapy) centres. The total number of people who are alive with HIV is 5,674. Among them, 4,570 are males, while 1,103 are females. Only one patient among them is a transgender.”
As per a TOI report, the crisis is strongly affecting students from affluent families, where often both parents have government jobs and thus a high household income.
Bhattacharjee said, “In most of the cases, the children belong to affluent families who are detected positive to HIV. There are families where both parents are in government service and don’t hesitate in fulfilling the demands of the children. By the time they realize that their children fell prey to drugs, it was too late.”
There are around 1,500 new HIV/AIDS cases registered yearly in Tripura as per Dr Dutta “We register around 1,500 new cases annually.”
She explained how HIV/AIDS could spread saying, “HIV/AIDS is not spread by air or water. It can spread through pregnant women, infected blood, injectable drugs, and sharing needles. We work with 14 departments to combat the social stigma associated with this disease.”
Reports do state that while HIV/AIDS through sexual transmission has dropped below 2% since 2023, injectable drugs have now become the most common mode of transmission for this disease.
According to a Business Insider report “injectable drug use has skyrocketed to a staggering 95% among students aged 14-20” and the reason for this is due to injectable drugs being easily available to these people.
A TOI report further explains “Needle sharing among drug users is a primary mode of HIV transmission, facilitating the spread of the virus through blood-to-blood contact.”
It further wrote how “risky injection practices, limited access to sterile needles, and marginalization of drug-using populations” contribute to the rise of the disease and how “sharing needles, syringes, or other injection equipment increases the likelihood of HIV transmission exponentially, as the virus can survive outside the body in residual blood” only further increases chances of contracting HIV/AIDS.
Image Credits: Google Images
Feature image designed by Saudamini Seth
Sources: Business Insider India, TOI, The Indian Express
Find the blogger: @chirali_08
This post is tagged under: Tripura, Tripura drug, Tripura hiv positive, hiv, hiv India, drugs, India drugs, Tripura Students, hiv crisis, hiv crisis india, Tripura State AIDS Control Society, Tripura HIV Outbreak, Drug Use In Tripura, Injectable Drugs, aids, hiv cases, Tripura Hiv Cases, HIV Epidemic, Injectable Drug Use, Tripura Injectable Drugs, Tripura Aids Cases, AIDS In Tripura Students, Northeast India Drug Problem, Tripura Government
Disclaimer: We do not hold any right, or copyright over any of the images used, these have been taken from Google. In case of credits or removal, the owner may kindly mail us.
Other Recommendations:
What Is The Reason Behind Surge Of Meth Labs In Uttar Pradesh’s Greater Noida?
