Tirupati-Tirumala hills grapple with rising AIDS cases

Shwetal Rai / CNN-IBN

TimePublished on Sat, Jun 21, 2008 at 01:35, Updated at Sat, Jun 21, 2008 in Nation section

TagsTags: Tirupati, Tirumala , Hyderabad
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SCARY STATS: AP AIDS Control Society says there are over 200 sex workers in the Tiruptai-Tirumala hills area.

SCARY STATS: AP AIDS Control Society says there are over 200 sex workers in the Tiruptai-Tirumala hills area.

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Hyderabad: There has been a steep rise in the number of HIV/AIDS cases in one of India’s holiest Hindu pilgrimage sites, the Tirupati-Tirumala hills.

Andhra Pradesh AIDS Control Society has found out that over 200 commercial sex workers operate in the area.

“We have come across this information through unofficial sources that there is commercial sex activity even in Tirumala. There are about 200-300 sex workers there,” Project Director, AP AIDS Control Society, K Chandravadan said.

The discovery reveal that sex workers clandestinely operate in about 15 secluded spots in the hills.

Chittoor — another district known for its pilgrimage sites — has also been identified as a high-risk zone. Incidentally, smoking, drinking and non-vegetarian food are banned in the Tirupati-Tirumala hills.