By Tenzin Monlam
DHARAMSHALA, December 1: The Tibetan exiles observed the World AIDS Day here today at the main square of McLeod Ganj. Themed ‘Access Equity Rights Now’, the day saw Kunphen Centre in association with the Department of Health, CTA, jointly carry out awareness event and a procession against the disease.
Dawa Tsering, Director of Kunphen, said, “With the influx of sex workers from China into Tibet, the count of HIV AIDS in Tibet has gone up. Similarly, this disease is spreading even in the exile Tibetan community. So, I urge every Tibetan to take precautions.”
The Director also urged people to undergo HIV check ups, since according to World Health Organization (WHO) nearly half of all people with HIV around the globe do not know they are infected.
According to the 2009 demographic survey by the Tibetan government in exile, AIDS is among the top 15 leading causes of death in the Tibetan Diaspora.
“As per our department’s data, there are around 120-130 HIV patients in our community. However, it cannot be said exactly since many don’t come out due to the stigma attached to the disease. Therefore, we can assume that the number may be more,” said Kapsang, a staff with Health Education Program of Department of Health.
According to a report published in VOA, the infection rate in the Tibetan dominated provinces are rising at an alarming rate, especially in Ganze Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan Province.
In 2011, two hundred cases of HIV infection were found in Draggo County in Ganze Prefecture. Within a year, that number rose by 60 percent. Similarly in Chengdu from 2005 to 2006, the annual infection rate increased by over 160 percent.
The rise in the number of infected people in Tibet, CTA claims, was due to massive influx of Chinese immigrants, mainly from the AIDS prevalent regions.
