HP gets HIV profiling of jail inmates done

Tribune News Service

Shimla, November 14

Himachal has earned the distinction of becoming the second state after Rajasthan in the country to get HIV profiling of its prison inmates done and seven out of 2,013 inmates have tested positive for HIV.

Somesh Goyal, Director-General (Prisons and Correctional Services) said the exercise was undertaken because prison inmates and other closed settings were at an increased risk of HIV infection because they lacked access to prevention and care services.

As many as 94 sensitisation sessions were conducted with the jail inmates in which 2,412 inmates were sensitised and 23 camps were organised. Out of 2,013 inmates tested, seven (all males) were tested positive for HIV and linked with anti-retroviral therapy (ART) centres,” Goyal said.

The HIV testing was undertaken under project Subhiksha, implemented by the Himachal Pradesh State AIDS Control Society with the support of Solidarity and Action Against the HIV Infection in India (SAATHII) in association with the Directorate-General of Prison and Correctional Services, Himachal Pradesh, National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO) and Women and Child Development Department of Himachal Pradesh.

The project is funded by John Elton AIDS Foundation, UK, and the permission was granted in May 2018.

The interventions targeted by the project included information, education and communication on HIV, counselling and testing, treatment, care and support, prevention and treatment of sexually transmitted infections, prevention of mother to child transmission of HIV, besides raising awareness on HIV transmission through medical and dental services, tattooing, piercing and other forms of skin penetration, he added.

At present, there are about 2,450 inmates, including 99 females lodged in 12 jails of the state out of which 2/3 are undertrials.