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Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh): As many as 38 prisoners lodged in Lucknow district jail have tested positive for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), taking the total number of cases of viral infection in the jail to 66. The alarming number of HIV cases has forced the prison administration to remain alert. Previously, 28 inmates tested positive for HIV.
All HIV-infected patients are undergoing treatment at a hospital in Lucknow, hospital officials said. The diagnosis came as part of health tests conducted by the Uttar Pradesh Health Department in December last year. The prison administration has begun offering counseling to infected inmates as part of their treatment. The authorities have also allowed changes in the diet of those infected.
Officials said, “Uttar Pradesh State AIDS Control Society screened inmates for STIs, HIV, Hepatitis B and Tuberculosis from December 3, 2023 to January 3, 2024 under the ISHTH campaign. “After testing, the prisoners were diagnosed with HIV.”
Dr Ramesh, joint director of UP AIDS Control Society, said: “The authorities have been vigilant after these cases were reported. The diet of infected prisoners has also been increased. All prisoners who were found “HIV positive have been kept under observation. The inmates are receiving treatment at the Antiretroviral Therapy (ART) Center of KGMU.”
Lucknow CMO Dr Manoj Aggarwal said, “Prisoners who tested positive for HIV infection have been kept under observation of doctors. Prison authorities are also taking precautions to check the spread of the virus.”
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