HIV infecting security personnel

Kathmandu, August 25:

At least 105 security personnel have been infected with HIV, including 60 in Nepal Army, 40 in Nepal Police and five in Armed Police Force.

However, it is feared that the number of HIV infected in the security forces may be higher, as most security personnel do not disclose ...

Most of the HIV victims are junior security staffers who may have been infected due to lack of awareness. A recent report shows that major cause of the disease in junior policemen is unsafe sex.

According to a study conducted on sex workers by Family Health International Nepal, customers of 38.3 per cent of the sex workers were policemen and soldiers.

Nepal Police spokesperson Shushilbar Singh Thapa conceded that only 50 per cent policemen had attended AIDS awareness workshops.

had done so.

Assistant Director of National AIDS and Sex Related Disease Control Centre Rajendra Pant showed the need of effective programmes to control the disease in the security bodies.

Three central hospitals of the security bodies had found 105 security personnel infected with the disease. Though self inspiring counselling programmes and testing centres have been formed in NA’s Birendra Sainik Hospital Chhauni, Nepal Police Hospital Maharajgunj and Armed Police Force Hospital, Balambu, the number of security personnel coming for counselling and blood tests for HIV-AIDS is rare.

Thapa said, “Nepal Police has given top priority to controlling the disease through awareness programmes.” HIV-AIDS counsellor of APF Hospital SI Rabindra Dahal said, “We have provided training to many security personnel in APF.” However, the programmes could not have been effective for all security personnel due to the large size of the security bodies.

General secretary of National Network Group Nepal Jagadish Chandra Bhatta said NGOs, government and security bodies could jointly make the awareness programmes among security bodies effective. The strength of Nepal Army is 96,000, Nepal Police has 56,000 personnel and APF 26,000.

According to government data, the number of HIV victims in Nepal is 12,000. However, the number of the victims is over 60,000, according to NGOs that are dealing with cases of HIV and AIDS.