‘Be Smart’ campaign launched in Telangana, Andhra to fight AIDS

Naveen S Garewal
Tribune News Service
Hyderabad, November 15

The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India reported has reported with National Health Profile of India (2018) that two Telugu states—Telangana and Andhra Pradesh have the highest number of people with sexually-transmitted diseases (STD) in the country.

A new campaign has been launched to fight this battle. On Friday, the AIDS control society of Telangana (TSACS) has initiated a new project: “Be Smart”. 

NGOs will conduct mass testing in migrant colonies, construction and industrial risk sites, slums etc.

“This was the first time AIDS screening was being done by going to people’s doorsteps”, said Dr. G. Anna Prasanna Kumari, Additional Project Director of TSACS. 

Out of the total number of 1,181,125 people living in India, Andhra is home to 17,266 (second to Maharashtra). Telangana is home to 73,360 (fifth nationally after Maharashtra, Andhra, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu). 

India is committed to achieving 'End of AIDS' by 2030. 

The report says currently, with more than 1300 surveillance sites; almost the entire country is covered under HIV Surveillance system. 

National Health Profile of India has reported that in 2016 around 8,056 cases of syphilis, that amount to 35 per cent of total cases in the country was reported from Telangana. 

Then in 2017, the highest number of syphilis cases; numbering around 5,155 were reported from Andhra Pradesh. 

The medical fraternity of the two Telugu states have been sceptical about the findings in the National Health Profile, which was released some time ago. 

Dr. Kammela Sridhar, a Hyderabad based urologist, who is a post-graduate from PGI, Chandigarh has said: “Promiscuity in these two states has led to poor genital hygiene, clubbed with rising in the number of same-sex sexual preference has pushed up cases of STD and HIV”.

Trying to decode the findings of the National Health Report, Dr. Sridhar continued: “In Telangana and Andhra Pradesh obesity is highest in the country. Due to fat in the body, the immune system is less effective. Due to heavy sweating, particularly in Andhra Pradesh coast, genital hygiene is affected. With this in mind, the state of Tamil Nadu has worked well to bring down STDs and HIV.”

A local dermatologist, Dr. George Valsan claims that number of patients with syphilis and gonococcal infections have been increasing. Though the number of cases of gonorrhoea is fewer, cases of syphilis have also drastically increased.