The Asian Man - An International Journal
Year : 2009, Volume : 3, Issue : 1
First page : ( 77) Last page : ( 85)
Print ISSN : 0974-6366.

HIV Serosurvey of Migrant Workers in the Alang Ship breaking Yards at Gujarat, India

Vaishnav Niloo, Chairman, Desai Sanjay, Managing Trusti

Bhavnagar Blood Bank, Diamond Chowk, Bhavnagar, PIN-364001.

Abstract

With about 5.1 million people living with HIV/AIDS, India faces, in terms of sheer numbers, the greatest challenge. The HIV prevalence rate among the adult population is 0.8 per cent which is low, but the absolute number of people living with HIV is very high and growing rapidly. The epidemic is challenging the development achievements of the recent years and is raising fundamental issues of human rights. In India, the HIV/AIDS epidemic is characterized by heterogeneity. The most vulnerable population includes sexworkers, injecting drug users, men who have sex with men and migrants. However, the spread of epidemic is continues to shift towards women and young people. The workers and labourers who work in harsh working conditions and live in unhygienic environments suffer from serious occupational and other health hazards. The workers experience frustration due to the adverse working conditions and prevailing environment. Many of them turn to drugs for temporary relief or under peer pressure. The women workers in informal sector are subjected to sexual harassment and physical abuse and thus, they are vulnerable to HIV/AIDS. The present paper purports to assess the sero surveillance rate among the migrant workers in a dockyard of Bhavnagar in Gujarat.

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