Meet on mainstreaming of response to AIDS held 

11/20/09

Balangir: Zilla Parishad president Bhanumati Rout inaugurated a workshop on mainstreaming of response to HIV and AIDS here. The workshop was organised by the Mainstreaming Resource Unit, Bhubneswar along with local NGO Sahara. Bhanumati Rout stressed on more awareness on cause and prevention of HIV/AIDS in the rural areas. She wanted that HIV test of migrant labourers should be held before and after their migration. CDMO Dr PC Sahu, Binodini Mishra of ActionAid, Bijaya Chapdar of Sahara and District Labour Officer PK Bhoi also spoke on the occasion. 

AIDS spreading its tentacles in Titlagarh Sudhir Mishra | BolangirBHUBANESWAR | Thursday, November 19, 2009 | Email | Print |

BHUBANESWAR | Thursday, November 19, 2009 | Email | Print | 


AIDS spreading its tentacles in Titlagarh

Sudhir Mishra | Bolangir

HIV/AIDS is spreading its tentacles rapidly in Titlagarh. Around 107 HIV positive cases have alredy detected ever since the testing and counseling facility started here three years ago in November 2006, four years after the Voluntary Counseling and Testing Centre was inaugurated in Bolangir district headquarters in 2002.

While in 2006 three HIV positive cases were detected, the number rose to 14 in 2007. In 2008 the number rose further to 58 and till October 2009, 32 HIV positive cases have been detected. While 40 persons have registered themselves for ART treatment, there are 15 full-blown AIDS cases in the town now. The major reasons for the rapid spread of this disease here are gross ignorance about the infection, unsafe sex and homosexual practices, better railway connectivity and of course poverty, explains CDMO Dr PC Sahu.

Poverty leads to homosexual practices among men who make it a profession for money. In Titligarh, there is a registered body of 250 homosexuals who normally work in hotels at very low wage. This forces them to work as male sex workers. As the town has good railway connectivity, they also go to other places like Sambalpur and Raipur and indulge in unsafe sexual behaviour. Locals urge that the hotels of the area should get all such workers thoroughly checked. Moreover the targeted intervention partner should also work more actively, they feel.

However this is not confined to Titlagarh town alone. The menace is fast spreading in many rural areas of western Odisha also, said an NGO worker working here.

The earlier targeted approach of the NACO covered the urban high risk population and neglected the rural areas. So in its third phase, link workers were introduced in order to reach the rural areas. Under the programme, a village plan is prepared by using the participatory rural appraisal technique to establish community access to health and other provisions, he said.

We have adopted the Society Tackling AIDS through Rights (STAR) approach involving men and women, married and unmarried. The basic objective of the formation of such groups is to discuss their problems related to HIV and AIDS as even today discussing about sex is considered as a taboo in our society, he said further.

Within a month many suspected patients have been referred to the Integrated Counseling Testing Centre and two patients from rural areas have been diagnosed of AIDS, sources said. Moreover, community-based Red Ribbon Club has been formed in each GP and the club members who are mostly youth have volunteered themselves to donate blood to save the life of AIDS patients. A directory of blood donors would be prepared which would be of immense help in time of need and their blood would be checked once in three months, sources added.

Earlier villagers used to shy away from the topic but now they are listening and also participating in the resolution to eradicate the dreaded disease. Moreover, Panchayats have also shown interest to take up HIV/AIDS as an issue in their meetings and get ratified the village plan in the Gram Sabha.

As women are more vulnerable to HIV, they need to be sensitised. Asha, ANM and other women functionaries at the grassroots level should be sensitised which would go long way in the prevention of HIV/AIDS in rural areas, say experts. What is required is creating awareness among the rural populace about HIV/AIDS and encouraging them for institutional delivery in hospitals, safe blood transfusion and safe sex. Now we perceive a change in the attitude and behaviour of the rural people as many are asking for condoms, say ICTC officials here. 

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‘Mainstreaming of HIV/AIDS response is needed’ PNS | BalangirBHUBANESWAR | Tuesday, November 3, 2009

BHUBANESWAR | Tuesday, November 3, 2009 | Email | Print | 


‘Mainstreaming of HIV/AIDS response is needed’

PNS | Balangir

To sensitise people about HIV/AIDS and mainstreaming of its response in rural areas, a panchayat level workshop was held recently at Chudapali, 20 km from here.

In view of the rising cases of HIV/AIDS in Balangir district, mainstreaming of HIV/AIDS response has become a necessity, observed district resource person Nandi Kishor Sandh while explaining the concept to people. He stressed on revival of the earlier existing community-coping mechanism and volunteerism in the grassroots areas to tackle HIV/AIDS effectively.

The HIV/AIDS issue cannot be tackled alone or by any single organisation and it requires concerted efforts by all sections of society, observed Sarpanch of Chudapali Panchayat, Chaturbhuja Kumara. Kumara also assured to approve the Village Development Plan in the Gram Sabha besides keeping HIV/AIDS as a theme of discussion in the Panchayat’s monthly meeting.

It is satisfying to note that the Panchayat agreed to observe World AIDS Day on December 1, said Kiranbala Satpathy.

Interestingly, the youths agreed to form a community-based Red Ribbon Club in their village without any assistance.

Migration from this district is a major reason for the rising number of HIV/AIDS cases in the district, said Khirsindhu Rana while addressing the workshop. He further stressed on availability of more work opportunity here to prevent distress migration.

In the next ten days, 40 such workshops are going to be held in the 40 Gram Panchayats of the district, said district resource person Rupam Mahapatra.

Organised by Action Aid, the workshop was attended by Panchayati Raj members and people of nearby villages. Durba Nahak proposed the vote of thanks.

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AIDS bomb ticking: HIV+youth dies in Balangir Sudhir Mishra | Balangir /BHUBANESWAR | Tuesday, October 13, 2009

BHUBANESWAR | Tuesday, October 13, 2009 | Email | Print | 


AIDS bomb ticking: HIV+youth dies in Balangir

Sudhir Mishra | Balangir

Death of 22-year-old Gopal Suna (name changed) — amidst the rising prevalence ofHIV/AIDS — of Titilagrah sub-division in Burla in the first week of October while undergoing ART treatment has revealed how absence of awareness among the masses and delay in providing appropriate service to the people living with HIV/AIDS in the district cost him dearly.

With the detection of 240 HIV positives and as many as 37 deaths due to AIDS in this no-major-industry district, within a span of just six years since the introduction of counseling and testing, the spectre of HIV/AIDS is looming large further.

The main cause of the rapid spread of this disease in the district is due to large scale migration of people, youth, and absence of proper awareness and easy access to crucial treatment facility.

This is nothing but tip of the iceberg, said in-charge CDMO PC Sahu while inaugurating a workshop organised by Action Aid here recently.

Detection of HIV positives is a Herculean task as everybody tries to hide their status fearing social stigma and discrimination. After implementing the targeted approach in the phase I and phase -II, by National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO) the Link Worker Scheme was implemented in the district in collaboration with the National Aids Control Society in NACP-III.

"Under this scheme, the STAR-(Society Tackling Aids through Rights) approach is adopted and in the villages where various peer groups are formed to take up community issues. In the peer groups the group members shares their experience, problems health status and other sensitive issues, says Amar Jyoti Nayak Regional Manager, Action Aid Amar Jyoti Patnaik. Even today talking of sex is considered as taboo. In the peer group members share their views, unhesitantly which further allows them to take any steps for their removal." says Amar further.

While sharing with peer group, a lady in a village of Titiligarh block after listening to this started sobbing as her son health condition is in a bad shape. She invited the link worker to her house and have look after her son and the link worker in turn informed the supervisor Bhagabat to look after the case. To avoid stigmas and discriminations in the village we reached that house virtually secretly and after reaching that house I started counseling, says Bhagabat.

During the discussion intimacy so developed that the youth shared all the incidents, which includes how he had intimate relations, in detail.

As he was checked in the ICTC, he was found HIV positive and was referred to Berhampur for ART treatment. As he went to Berhampur and gave blood there for testing, thanks to bad luck the machine did not function by that time and he couldn't get the result leaving him to suffer further. By this time as his condition deteriorated he was advised to go for Burla. He got his blood tested and returned with some temporary medicine and as his health condition deteriorated he was desperate to go to Burla for ART treatment.

However, shortage of money prevented going there. The link workers took prompt action to link with SAI (TI) who supported to take him to Burla ART Centre.

Finally the targeted intervention Partner, SAI agreed to bear the cost of travelling expense. He returned home with ART and started taking treatment as advised by the doctors. When his health condition did not improve, he was again admitted in Burla hospital and died there. Had the youth status been revealed earlier, had his family members had known about AIDS, things would have been different and his life could have been prolonged further, said Nandi.

Dear all,

I am posting some of my old news onHIV /AIDS published in The Pioneer(Bhubneshwar edition )for your perusal

Yours

SudhirMishra/Pioneer/Balangir

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Saturday, September 19, 2009 | Email | Print | 
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‘Mainstreaming HIV/AIDS response is need of hour’

Pioneer News Service | Balangir

Spread the message about the cause and prevention of HIV/AIDS in the rural areas with thrust on mainstreaming and removal of stigma attached with it, so that the affected persons get the desired relief, observed collector-in-charge Sanjaya Habwada while inaugurating a district-level workshop organised by Action Aid Association on “Mainstreaming HIV/AIDS response in Government departments” here. The detection of 239 HIV positive cases in the district and deaths of 35 persons due to AIDS ever since the beginning of testing and counseling facility reveals that the tentacles of AIDS is spreading rapidly, observed CDMO-in-charge Dr PC Sahu while addressing the participants.

Explaining in detail about HIV/AIDS, its spread and treatment Dr Sahu stressed on better awareness among the masses for prevention of this disease. An Anti-Retroviral Therapy (ART) Centre and community care centre would be opened here from the next financial year, Dr Sahu revealed further. Dr Sahu also called upon the NGOs to work dedicatedly so that the spread of this disease is checked effectively.

HIV/AIDS should be perceived as development issue rather than a mere health issue. It is found mostly in the developing countries, rather than in the developed countries, where in people lack basic health care facilities.

Once a person is diagnosed as HIV positive, he/she faces a lot of socio-economic problems which often results in alienation from his/her livelihood. Keeping this in view, the UN Millennium Development Goal (UN MDG) has taken HIV/AIDS as a development issue. Besides the role of NGOs, various Government departments also play a crucial role as they have to formulate rules for HIV/AIDS people, pointed out Santosh Padhy of Action Aid. District resource person Nandi Kishor Sandh spoke in detail about the community outreach model of link worker scheme going on in seven vulnerable blocks of the district.

Effort should be taken to remove the stigma associated with HIV/AIDS, observed Binodini Mishra. The AIDS Bill should be placed in the Parliament as early as possible and once the Bill is passed it would go a long way in ensuring rights of HIV-positive people in the country and allow them to lead a dignified life, pointed out Niraj Mishra of Orissa AIDS Solidarity Forum.
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Adarsh to sponsor Balangir badminton players

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Adarsh to sponsor Balangir badminton players

Balangir: As part of its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), the Adarsh Group of companies have decided to sponsor two young budding badminton players of Balangir, Abhimanyu Bagarti (15)and Surendra Nepal (15).

Group Director (Western Odisha) Ramakanta Mahakur felicitated Abhimanyu and Surenda along with their parents at the Sahid Bhagat Singh Club badminton ground in the presence of secretary of Balangir District Badminton Association Surulal Matari and handed over kit bags to both players on Wednesday. He also assured them to extend the required financial support to compete in national and international tournaments.

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