Move leads to outbreak of HIV among drug addicts

Ajay Joshi

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, July 15

Though the state government has placed a restriction on the sale of syringes without prescriptions, the data revealed by the district Civil Hospital on the number of drug-addicts infected by HIV and Hepatitis–C has raised another serious issue.

Almost every drug-addict coming for the treatment at the Civil Hospital was found to be infected with HIV/AIDS. From the beginning of this year till date, 213 cases of drug addicts infected with AIDS have been registered and the senior staff and councillors claimed that most of patients got infected by the deadly virus through the sharing of syringes.

Last year, this figure was 333, comparatively lower than this year’s figure. Also the cases pertaining to sexual transmission were minimum. In-addition, the patients were in the age group of 18-30.The family members of the addicts diagnosed with HIV are also at the risk of being infected with the virus.

Dr Swaijit Singh in the ART centre at the hospital said, “More than 95 per cent patients admitted acquire this virus via needle transmission, so as to save the cost of needle. One syringe is used by four addicts. Therefore, government should think about the ban with more seriousness. The incidents of the transmission of HIV virus and drugs mostly occurred due to the sharing of needles. The virus is further transmitted from the addicts to their spouse,” Singh added.

Medical Superintendent Kanwaljit Singh however said that, “To curb the transmission of infection, we advise the patients to discard used syringes.