With an estimated 2.3 million homosexuals and another 2.35 lakh male sex workers, the government is planning to scale up its intervention with this "hidden population" to reduce their exposure to HIV/AIDS.
"This hidden population is at a greater risk of acquiring and transmitting HIV infection due to more frequent exposure, higher levels of risky behaviour and insufficient capacity or power to decide to protect themselves," Sujatha Rao, director general of National AIDS Control Organisation, told PTI.
Considering the level of risk this population is involved in, the National AIDS Control Programme 111 suggests an increase from 30 Targeted Interventions to 250.
The programme is with the finance ministry for approval. "We plan to increase the TI from 30 to 250," she said.
The need to increase interaction with this group rose when under the NACP 111, a limited number of homosexuals and transgenders were reached.
According to the National Sentinel Surveillance of 2005, a little over 40,000 homosexuals, transgenders and male sex workers were assessed by 30 TIs.
"It has taken the government a long time to focus on this group. It is out of control in some areas. We have done surveys which show that HIV prevalence rate among this population is 43 per cent, while one out of two persons among transgenders in Mumbai are infected with HIV," said Ashok Row Kavi, who heads Humsafar Trust, a Mumbai-based NGO that works with homosexuals and transgenders.
The Sentinel survey also found that as compared to less than 1 per cent of the general population infected with HIV, 8 per cent of the total homosexual population in the country is estimated to be infected.
"My organisation was the first one to do a pilot project way back in 1999 about HIV prevalence among homosexuals and transgenders. We found 13.8 per cent prevalence rate in Mumbai," Kavi said.
In fact, NACO's Sentinel Surveillance of 2001 had said that HIV prevalence rates among this population are high -- at 29 per cent in Manipur, 27 per cent in Delhi, 13 per cent in Andhra Pardesh, 11 per cent in Karnataka and 9 per cent in Goa.
An expert group set up by the design team of NACP 111 have recently arrived at the total population of homosexuals, transgenders and male sex workers.
"This estimate would help us know their size, which would help us to find ways to reach them," said an official of NACO.
According to the estimates, out of the 2,352,133 homosexuals, Uttar Pradesh has the highest number (387,039), followed by West Bengal (183,280), Madhya Pradesh (138,981) and Tamil Nadu (138,792).
The official said the mapping exercises includes transgenders, but excludes sexual acts done by young males who are not necessarily attracted to the same gender but are passive recipients of anal sex for reasons of poverty and earning some money.
