A section from the Kerala State Syllabus’ Class 10 biology book, which talks about HIV, states that one of the ways it can spread is “through premarital/extramarital sexual contact.”
This matter was notified by Dr Veena from Thiruvananthapuram and later Dr Arun, a practitioner of General Medicine from Kerala’s Palakkad district who posted the photo of the page on Monday, 4 March, The News Minute (TNM) reported.
The page graphically describes three other ways that HIV spreads, “by sharing the needle and syringe used by AIDS patients,” “through body fluids,” “from HIV infected mother to foetus.”
A report by India Today says that this book has been published by the State Council of Education Research and Training (SCERT).
HIV Misconceptions Rampant, SCERT To Rectify Mistake For Next Academic Year
Dr Arun told TNM that instead of the wrong information given in the textbook, “they should have put it as ‘unprotected sex’ or ‘unprotected sex with an infected partner’.”
“How does the virus know whether the couple is married or not?”Dr Arun to TNM.
Additionally, a research officer of SCERT told TNM, “We have identified the mistake and have taken measures to make the necessary changes in the upcoming academic year which begins from June 2019 onwards.”
She further clarified that despite the information given in the textbook, the students were not taught this.
(With inputs from The News Minute)
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