HIV positive youth forced out of Uttar Pradesh village

LUCKNOW - A 27-year-old HIV positive youth in Uttar Pradesh was forced to leave his village by his neighbours, who feared they could get infected through mosquito bites.

The youth, who is a resident of Sewain village in Gorakhpur district, some 300 km from Lucknow, has been living in seclusion on the outskirts of the village for the last four days.

“Locals convened a panchayat and passed a resolution that my son would not be allowed to live in the village as the disease could spread through mosquito bites,” the youth’s 65-year-old mother told reporters Saturday in Gorakhpur.

Though she refused to talk about how his son contracted the virus, she said: “He (son) had gone to Pune and Hyderabad in search of livelihood. After remaining there for six-seven months, he returned with a complaint that he frequently falls ill.”

“Thereafter, he used to take some medicines on his own by consulting the employees at medical shops. As there was no significant improvement in his health, I asked him to consult a registered medical practitioner. On my advice, he visited a prominent hospital in Gorakhnath town, where the doctor took his blood samples and later it was revealed my son was HIV positive.”

Though the mother tried her best to conceal the diagnosis, she believes some of her relatives spread the news in the village.

“I was forced to furnish the medical reports of my son, following which the villagers knew that my son is HIV positive,” said the mother, who niow lives in an isolated hut with her son.

Dharmendra Singh, a member of the village panchayat, was proud of having thrown the HIV positive youth out of the village.

“In this way, we will be able to check the spread of virus through mosquito bites,” Singh told reporters.

When contacted, Gorakhpur Chief Medical Superintendent O.P. Patik told IANS: “The news is surprising and shocking. We will make every effort so that the youth is allowed to live in the village. Our team will visit the village at the earliest to dispel the myths about HIV/AIDS prevailing among the locals there.”