Sexually Transmitted Infection: East Jaintia Hills Tops the List

Sexually Transmitted Infection: East Jaintia Hills Tops the List

Staff Correspondent

Shillong: Meghalaya’s East Jaintia Hills district has the highest number of people with sexually transmitted infection (STI) in the country while the State as a whole is third in the order of mothers with HIV. This was divulged by the Deputy Director of the Meghalaya Aids Control Society (MACS) Dr A Lyngdoh on the sideline of the International Youth Day celebrations in Shillong on Tuesday.

Dr Lyngdoh termed the rising case of reported Sexually Transmitted Infection in East Jaintia Hills as ‘quite bad’ where the clinically tested people are on the rise. She gave multiple attributes to the growing rate of STI in the district which is known for its coal reserves. It is also a hub-nub of labourers coming from across all the Indian States including Nepal.

However, mothers detected with HIV is on the rise and the State is ranked third. “These detections are made during their delivery in health centres and hospitals which to my mind is quite alarming”, stated DR Lyngdoh, adding, “It is for this reason that we have intensified our outreach programmes even by collaborating with NGOs working in this field.”

However, she was also apt in saying that these are only people who have been detected through the health centres and the numbers should be more if more and more people from the vulnerable areas volunteer themselves to get tested. “Going by the statistics, I still believed that it is still a tip of the iceberg”, rued Dr Lyngdoh

Earlier, during the function to mark the International Youth Day on the theme “Be Educated about HIV,” the Deputy Director MACS also exhorted upon the youth to live responsibly in order to usher a healthy future generation that they will take over. David Laiphlang, president of the Shillong Press Club gave a motivational speech to the youths.

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