Drug abuse,HIV/AIDS rising in NE despite awareness

North East India has been identified as one of the most vulnerable regions with regard to drug abuse and spread of HIV/AIDS, though it boasts of more than 90 per cent literacy rate and equal awareness levels regarding drug abuse and HIV/AIDS.

The problems of drug abuse and HIV/AIDS has reached such terrifying dimensions that two of the total six states currently into 'generalised' epidemic showing strong IDU-HIV link are in NE--Nagaland and Manipur.

The identification of NE as a high risk zone has made the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) concentrate greatly in the region, with the South Asia office of the organisation holding a day-long media sensitisation workshop in Guwahati yesterday.

Participating in the workshop, UNODC representative Gary Lewis quoted survey reports that indicated the growing prevalence rate of drug abuse and HIV/AIDS in NE region.

While NE had illiteracy rate as low as 6 per cent compared to the national percentage of 21, the region had an alarming high unemployment percentage of 59.3 against the national percentage of 19.7 per cent.

The region also enjoyed more than 90 per cent awareness levels regarding HIV/AIDS against the all-India figure of 76.1 per cent.

Yet the region had an alarming rising trend in HIV/AIDS cases, Mr Lewis said, adding that though sexual transmission continued to account for most cases, Injectable Drug Users (IDU) also formed a major part in spreading the disease.

-- (UNI) -- 23CA15.xml

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