AIDS has taken 461 lives in Sambalpur
Despite widespread efforts to raise awareness, AIDS is on the rise. In Sambalpur district, 461 patients died. The number of AIDS patients in the state is on the rise due to unprotected sex. Homosexuality is said to be a major cause of HIV infection. The Odisha AIDS Control Society has set up Integrated Counseling Testing Centers (ICTCs) in different parts of the state to identify people living with the disease and provide them with the necessary assistance. After the test, the person who was infected with HIV was given the necessary treatment and counseling. The ICTC has branches in Burla, Redhakhol and Kuchinda, including the district general hospital in Sambalpur district.
A blood Sample test has been started at the Sambalpur Sadar Hospital since 2002. This year, however, HIV tests revealed that no person from the Sambalpur Center has been dignosed with HIV, but one from sambalpur, 36 from Rairakhol Center, 2 from Kuchinda and one from the Lajda Center were found to be HIV positive in 2013.
There were 1,108 and 22 people from two centers in Burla Hospital, respectively. As of October 2013, a total of 1,582 people had been infected in the district, 1897 in 2014, 2152 in 2015, 2321 in 2016 and 2,616 in 2017. As of October 2021, a total of 3,624 cases have been reported from all these centers in Sambalpur district. Of these, 834 were reported at Sambalpur, 2094 and 572 from two centers at Burla, 110 at Redkhol, 8 at Kuchinda and 9 at Lajda, respectively. A total of 236 of them were tested positive for HIV, and 89 of the patients identified at the Sambalpur Center had died. Similarly, the highest number of deaths was 333 from one center (Department of Microbiology) of Burla VSS Medical College and 21 from the center (Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology).
