477 HIV cases in 15 months: Uttarakhand hospital reports ‘alarming trend’

Dehradun: As many as 477 new HIV-positive cases have been reported at a government hospital in Uttarakhand suggesting alarming increase in the number of cases from drug abuse, according to The Indian Express.

Haldwani’s Dr Susheela Tiwari Government Hospital found itself in the midst of shocking number of cases with 43 having reported last month alone.

Dr Vaibhav Kumar, nodal officer of the Anti-Retroviral Therapy (ART) Centre at the hospital, said that most of the patients are men.

Kumar reported that eight children also got the virus from their mothers, adding that ‘this is an alarming trend’.

‘Every day, we are seeing at least three new patients turning up with the infection… There is a fear of ostracisation which makes it harder to get patients to register,’ he was quoted as saying.

Dr Kumar pointed to sharing syringes by men addicted to drugs as the primary cause alongside the common cause of unprotected sex, saying that other departments also spread awareness against the menace.

The new cases are being reported alongside thousands of registered patients reporting for follow-ups.

‘Drug abuse is rampant and needs to be checked… we need to find out where the drugs are coming from,’ Dr Kumar said.

Dr Kumar said that vertical transmission of disease, which means infection coming from parent to offspring directly, is rare thanks to advanced medicine.

Meanwhile, the superintendent of Haridwar Jail said that reports of 15 HIV cases found during health camp for TB screening at the district jail was false.