Number of injecting drug users on the rise in Delhi,Punjab: Study

According to the latest data of 2008-09,the prevalence of IDUs in Delhi is 18.60 per cent. In 2007,this was 10.10 per cent. Likewise in Punjab,the prevalence of IDUs was 13.79 in 2007,and has now increased to 26.36 per cent.

The new data suggests that there is a need to spearhead the same interventions for IDUs in these newly emerging places too as we have done in the Northeastern states. Delhi,Punjab and Mumbai have become the new hot spots for the IDUs, said Dr Damodar Bachani,Deputy,Director-General,department of AIDS control.

According to experts,the spread of the virus in the MSM group Men having sex with men still remains high. Andhra Pradesh recorded the maximum HIV/AIDS prevalence in MSM 23.60 per cent,followed by Manipur 17.21 per cent,Maharashtra 12.80 per cent and Karnataka 12.52 per cent in 2008-2009.

The prevalence of the virus in the Female Sex Workers FSW in certain states has increased,says the latest data. While,according to the 2007 data,the prevalence of HIV in FSW was 5.30 per cent in Karnataka,the latest data shows Karnataka has the highest FSW prevalence 14.40 per cent,followed by Nagaland 14.06 per cent and Andhra Pradesh 11.14 per cent.

According to the new data,Maharashtra has recorded highest prevalence of Sexually Transmitted Diseases STDs 13.07 per cent. In 2007,it was Andhra Pradesh that had the highest prevalence of STDs 17.20 per cent.