Incidences of drug abuse among a section of the city youths are becoming a major health concern. The heath threat is more pronounced in the Agartala Municipal Corportaion (AMC) area and becoming a serious health hazard as some of the drug abusers are using drugs by injection.
Head of Office, Tripura State AIDS Control Society – Dr. Deep Kumar Debbarma said in a sensitization programme of the AMC councilors on Wednesday.
Dr. Deep Kumar Debbarma said several HIV positive cases were identified in the Sadar sub-division over the past six to seven months.
Presenting data to highlight the present situation, Dr Debbarma said, “Around 350-400 injectable drug users are there in the AMC area while 81 among them have been identified with HIV infection. The number is more in the entire Sadar sub-division.”
He also said the tendency of using injectable drugs is high among the youths in the 16-24 years age groups.
Dr. Debbarma was addressing a sensitization programme of Corporators of AMC on HIV/AIDS and injection drug use. The programme was conducted by the Health department and organized by Tripura State AIDS Control Society.
After a wholesome deliberation, he sought engagement of public representatives in eradicating the drug menace and save the youths. Dr Debbarma said, “The department alone can’t fight the drugs menace. The administration is definitely taking steps so that the youths don’t fall prey to drugs but the public representatives also have a major role to play in this regard.”
The sensitization programme also discussed the ways to prevent the use of injectable drugs.
Among others, Mayor of Agartala Municipal Corporation, Dipak Majumder and Deputy Mayor Manika Das Dutta and the councilors also attended the sensitization programme.
The Mayor appealed to the city dwellers and social organizations to keep an eye on the situation and fight the drugs menace together. He stressed on raising awareness particularly among the youths about the negative impact of drugs, in particular drugs by injection.