Imphal, November 25: Karnataka is one of the six high HIV/AIDS prevalence States of the country with over 5 lakh people infected with the disease in the State where the primary cause of transmitting the virus is through sexual contact.

Thanks to effective intervention through launch of various projects under the patronage of different international agencies, preventive activities in addition to eradicating stigma and discrimination endured by infected persons are making favourable progress with massive support from the people of Karnataka.

Apart from such projects being implemented with determination throughout the State, Karnataka in collaboration with India-Canada Collaborative HIV/AIDS Project (ICHAP) had in 2002 taken up three projects out of which two christened- The Rural Integrated HIV Programming and The Sex Workers Demonstration Project are being launched in Bagalkot district.

Bagalkot, granted district status in 1997 after bifurcation from Bijapur district in the remote northern Kamataka, is composed with around 75 percent of rural dominion with poor health infrastructure adding to the woes of the population there.

This being the case, the nearly a decade old district had been targeted for implementation of the dual projects.

A media team that recently surveyed various taluks (sub-divisions) of Bagalkot found the people's collective and relentless effort in combating spread of HIV/AIDS with devoted emphasis on eliminating the scourge of discrimination besetting infected individuals.

At Ingalgi, one of many settlement hubs within Mudhol taluk, the villagers having faced bitter experiences in the past in the campaign against HIV/AIDS are beginning to command respect from the neighbouring villages as well for the Mudhol villagers are able to provide basic counselling to adjacent populace.

Made up of about 5000 strong population and 100 of them living with HIV and AIDS, infected persons in Ingalgi village families are found to closely knit coupled with abundant love and affection for even the infected persons by their own family as well as from the surrounding villages.

Basically symptoms of HIV/AIDS in the village sprouted as early as 1991 and the villagers then unaware of the disease confined the infected ones separately, recalled a panchayat member of the village who is also a prominent figure in village health care endeavours.

Left with no other alternatives in tackling widespread infections from the disease, families of the infected persons sought, advice and treatment procedures of quacks at distant location only to realise later that they had wasted invaluable and hard earned money, he confided.

In the midst of prevalent uncertainties and continued tragedy transcending upon the villagers, a local NGO called Belgaum Integrated Rural Development Society (BIRDS) and ICHAP showed up on the scene and on their intervention the village health committee (VHC) was formed at the gram panchayat level.

Gradually, the VHC embarked on the mission of educating the villagers on the disease through dissemination of information regarding causes of HIV/AIDS in addition to mass condom promotion campaigns.

Informing that over 30 persons had succumbed to the disease, the panchayat member further confided that the VHC with the support of the local population took the responsibility of containing HIV/AIDs outbreak.

"We screen all suspected cases, suggest and take them to the Voluntary Counselling and Testing Centre and get their blood tested with consent," he informed.

A HIV positive male youth who wanted to get married with a local girl was prevented from entering into wedlock by the VHC by disclosing the aspiring groom's health status to the bride's family, consequently evoking favourable response from the entire villagers with the initially peeved youth realising the VHC's endeavour and applauding its effort, added the Panchayat member.

Another village elder chipped in saying "number of positive people in our village do not have any relevance in the fight against the disease but what is most praiseworthy is our courage to spell out the number after giving effective counselling and education on the disease".

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