TR-DRUGS-IDU

Number of IDUs on the rise in Tripura
    Agartala, Jun 16 (PTI) The number of Injecting Drug
Users (IDU) is on the rise in Tripura in spite of efforts by
the state AIDS control society to control the menace,
officials said.
    The Injecting Drug Users are mostly concentrated in
Kanchanpur and Damchera in North Tripura district and Dhalai
district, the officials said.
    According to latest statistic available with Tripura
State Aids Control Society (TSACS), the number of drug users
has gone up from 750 in 2018-19 to around 1000 till date.
    The figure was 610 in 2017-18.
    But the exact number of IDUs would more than the
official figure as drug users often avoid the health workers
due to social stigma, the Project Director of TSACS Dr PK
Majumder said on Friday.
    "We have succeeded to get some die hard IDUs out of
drugs through Opioid Substitute Therapy (OST) but actual
number would be much more than the official inputs," he said.
    As many as 215 Injecting Drug Users (IDUs) have been
fully cured over the past few years because of OST, he added.
    Dr Majumder said "The number of IDUs are spreading to
new areas like Kanchancherra, Sikaribari and Ambassa city in
Dhalai district over the years. Earlier, the menace was
concentrated only in Kanchanpur subdivision because of open
border with Mizoram."
    He said "We are using OSTs at Kanchanpur and Manu to
give proper treatment to the drug users but turn-out is not so
encouraging. But, still we are working on the mission to
rescue the IDUs." PTI CORR SBN
RG RG

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from a PTI feed.)