‘457 WORKERS AMONG 976 TESTED HIV+’

VARANASI: As many as 457 migrant workers are among 976 people who tested HIV positive at anti-retroviral therapy (ART) centre, Sir Sundarlal Hospital in Banaras Hindu University last year, said nodal officer of the centre prof Shyam Sundar.

“All the affected ones are from different pockets of eastern UP and adjoining areas of neighbouring Bihar,” he added. Maximum cases were from Varanasi where 172 people tested HIV positive, he added. Likewise, the number of patients who tested positive in other east UP districts included Mizapur140, Chandauli-134, Sonbhadra113, Ghazipur-90, Ballia-37, Azamgarh-28 and Jaunpur-56.

Rest are from adjoining pockets of Bihar. The nodal officer said the patients were given proper advice and were under treatment.

“Most of them have poor financial condition. After diagnosis, ART centre counsellors did their counselling and apprised them of dos and don’ts they had to follow throughout their lives,” he said.

He further said 1297 people tested HIV positive in 2016. Of them, around 50 percent were migrant workers. Sundar said massive awareness drives should be carried out in the colonies of migrant workers. At ART centre, the patients undergo test and counselling after diagnosis.