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AIDS in disguise of marriage blesses tribal girl with HIV BHUBANESWAR | Thursday, March 4, 2010 | Email | Print |


BHUBANESWAR | Thursday, March 4, 2010 | Email | Print | 


AIDS in disguise of marriage blesses tribal girl with HIV

Pioneer News Service | Balangir

Nineteen-year-old Dukhi (pseudonym), never in her wildest dream, might have imagined that despite hailing from a poor tribal family, she would be exposed to such an ordeal in life. Instead of being blessed with a child, she has been blessed with the fatal HIV for no fault of hers and now she is a Person Living with HIV (PLHIV) in medical parlance.

Dukhi had married 22-year-old Dukha (pseudonym) of Atarla village in May last year. According to sources, Dukha had already been warned by doctors not to marry as he was already detected HIV positive. Dukha had been a migrant labour. However, ignoring medical advice, he married Dhukhi.

After marriage, Dukha migrated to Punjab for work while his newly-wed wife returned to her paternal house.

Dukha’s father-in-law was somehow tipped off his son-in-law’s confidential medical report and he preferred to go in for a test of his daughter.

Unfortunately, Dukha died in Punjab in January this year and Dukhi had to return to her in-law’s house for performing the last rites.

Jamuna Pradhani, one of the link workers working with the Link Worker Project implemented by Action Aid to tackle HIV/AIDS in Balangir, came to know about Dukha and she thought of meeting her young wife.

She visited Atarla village and met Dukhi. It had not been an easy task for Jamuna to convince Dukhi to go for an HIV test when the funeral rites of her husband was on. However, Jamuna managed to convince Dukhi’s family members and she was brought to Titilagarh hospital based ICTC centre by bicycle of a local Anganwadi worker.

As anticipated, her blood test report revealed positive and as she was in a very weak condition, she was referred to Burla-based VSS Medical College and Hospital after being tagged with a local NGO working in the area. She has been undergoing Anti-Retroviral Therapy (ART) treatment there.

“We are considering to rehabilitate her,” said an NGO activist working in the HIV/AIDS sector here.
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