Kanpur: 14 new inmates, including a woman, lodged at the district jail here were found to be HIV positive during an annual medical camp conducted by the National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO), jail authorities said.
The jail already has 11 inmates who are HIV positive and have been receiving treatment. Jail superintendent Vipin Mishra said the authorities hold routine HIV checks for all inmates- including convicts and undertrials. This year the camp was held from February 26-March 2 where all 2,518 inmates underwent tests. Following this, a counsellor was brought in to counsel affected patients. These inmates were asked to get their partners and children tested for HIV virus as well, so their treatment could begin with immediate effect, if they were also found to be infected with virus.
Mishra said since HIV positive inmates include both convicts and undertrials, it is difficult to detect since when they have been carrying by the virus. He said though there is a medical examination for inmates coming to the jail, there is no test to determine whether they are HIV positive or not.
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