Six migrants die of AIDS in eight months

BALASORE: At least six persons have reportedly died of HIV/AIDS in eight months in the villages bordering West Bengal. The victims, all migrant workers, were working in metro cities to eke out a living.The fatal virus is spreading faster than expected among a sizeable migrant population pressing the panic button among other such families in Balasore district.In a recent incident, Achint Jena (30) of Teghari village died at Nagpur railway station on his way home from Mumbai. An autopsy report confirmed that he was HIV positive.  Villagers said Jena had gone to Mumbai to work as a contract labourer. Married two years back, he is survived by his wife and a daughter, who are yet to tested for the virus.  A village leader Pramod Behera said youths from the area migrate to metro cities in search of jobs. As the region is famous for good quality betel leaves, some youths travel to cities like Delhi, Hyderabad and Benaras where they manage a good business but fall prey to illicit relationships.According to statistics, people in the age group of 16 to 30 who hail from Baliapal, Bhogarai, Jaleswar, Basta, Soro and Oupada blocks move out in large numbers to the industrially-developed urban localities that have dubious track record of prevalence of AIDS.The coastal district has reported 560 HIV positive cases in seven years of which 98 persons have died.  Last year itself 15 persons died.CDMO Iqbal Ahmad who couldn’t confirm the recent deaths in Bhogarai block, however, said Balasore comes under ‘B’ category endemic zone due to its proximity to West Bengal.The concentration of the dreaded disease is more in Bhogarai, Jaleswar and Basta regions where the health administration is carrying out several programmes to create awareness about its vulnerability, he added.