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HIV Infection Among Transport Workers Operating Through Siliguri-Guwahati National Highway, India

National Institute of Cholera & Enteric Diseases, Kolkata, India

Syed Iftikar Ahmed, DTM&H

AIDS Prevention Society (APS), Guwahati, Asam, India

Rita Mukherjee, MBBS

National Institute of Cholera & Enteric Diseases, Kolkata, India

Sekhar Chakraborty, PhD

National Institute of Cholera & Enteric Diseases, Kolkata, India

Swapan Kumar Niyogi, MD

National Institute of Cholera & Enteric Diseases, Kolkata, India

Arunangshu Talukder, MD

West Bengal State AIDS Prevention & Control Society (WBSAPCS), Kolkata, India

Nilanjan Chakraborty, PhD

Indian Council of Medical Research Virus Unit, Kolkata, India

Kamalesh Sarkar, MD

National Institute of Cholera & Enteric Diseases, Kolkata, India, kamal412496{at}yahoo.com

A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted in July 2004 to understand the problem of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections among long-distance transport workers operating through the Siliguri-Guwahati national highway. The study included 301 transport workers who were contacted at different transport workers’ stops on the Siliguri-Guwahati national highway. Informed consent was obtained. Participants were interviewed for their socio-demographic characteristics, risk behavior, and risk perceptions. Blood testing for HIV, hepatitis B virus, and syphilis (at least 1:8 dilution) showed seroprevalence rates of 2.3%, 3.7%, and 6.3%, respectively. About 67% said they visited sex workers. The reported condom use rate was 58%. About 27% sustained a sexually transmitted infection within the last year. The existing HIV prevalence among transport workers appears to be low, but in view of their risk behavior and high rate of sexually transmitted infection, HIV rates may increase unless a suitable behavioral intervention is urgently initiated toward them.

Key Words: truck drivers • HIV • risk behavior • sexually transmitted infections

Journal of the International Association of Physicians in AIDS Care (JIAPAC), Vol. 6, No. 1, 56-60 (2007)
DOI: 10.1177/1545109706298405


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