June 12, 2008	Thursday	Jamadi-us-Sani 07, 1429

KARACHI, June 11: The Sindh Aids Control Programme has decided to move into the industrial sector to spread awareness among workers of the dreaded HIV/Aids phenomena and inform the workers about preventive measures, said sources in the provincial programme.

Besides holding workshops and seminars for workers and meetings with the owners and management of various industries across the province to seek support, the SACP would also ensure the establishment of more HIV/Aids surveillance centres and sexually transmitted infection clinics in major hospitals in the industrial areas, it was further learnt.

It is said that among the estimated over 40 million people living with HIV/Aids globally, over 26 million are workers aged between 15 and 49. A big number of the workers are employed in industries. About 6,000 people die of Aids in the world everyday.

“The HIV infection adversely affects not only workers and their families but also productivity of the industries and as such, there is a need to ensure adequate awareness of HIV/Aids among the workers community to reduce the chances of their becoming vulnerable to the disease, and to make the major industrial workplaces provide a ready-made environment to offer preventive intervention programmes,” said a source.

Though there are no comprehensive studies that show industrial workers have high-risk behaviour in the context of HIV/Aids, in view of their being a bridge population, there is a need to educate them in order to increase their risk perception and ensure timely preventive interventions, said an official of the Aids control programme.

Underlining the significance of awareness among the industrial workers in Karachi, SACP Manager Dr Mohammad Nasir Jalbani said the city attracted labourers, dock workers, construction workers, truck drivers and industrial workers from other parts of the country as well, a majority of whom were illiterate.

“Unless we take up massive sensitization and educational programmes in the industries, we cannot provide them with adequate information and opportunity of awareness of HIV/Aids,” Dr Jalbani said, adding that there had been some awareness initiatives on a limited scale in the past, which now needed to be strengthened and held frequently almost in all major industrial units, otherwise the existing negligible knowledge on health-care issues and HIV/Aids among the workers could lead to serious consequences for productivity and the economy.

He said efforts were on to increase the number of STI and Aids surveillance centres in the province, and the SACP would also be approaching the Sindh Employees’ Social Security Institution (Sessi) and other authorities for the establishment of such centres, and ensure service delivery packages for high-risk individuals.

The programme manager said there were 90,000 estimated cases of HIV/Aids in the country, while Sindh had about 50 per cent of them, out of which 80 per cent cases prevailing among the injectable-drug users, female sex workers, male sex workers and transvestites were located in Karachi.

Dr Sikandar Iqbal, HIV/Aids physician at the SACP, said if awareness programmes were enhanced in industries and workers were motivated, it would help get volunteers for STD check-ups and HIV/Aids counselling and screening, on the one hand, and promote safe practices among the industrial workers, on the other.

“HIV is an area that needs to be addressed through comprehensive programmes,” Dr Sikandar said, adding that business and industrial houses should also ensure a HIV workplace policy – a simple pledge by the employer for confidentiality, non-discrimination, right to work and medical care for each employee.

According to a quarterly surveillance report updated till March 2008, there were 1,987 HIV-positive and 163 Aids-positive cases, including 39 deaths. There has been an increase of 97 new HIV cases from January to March this year.