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Bhubaneswar, Dec 1: Orissa State AIDS Control Society (OSACS) took up an awareness rally as part of the World AIDS day in addition to organising photo exhibition, blood donation camp, inauguration of AIDS messaged passbooks and bus tickets along with a newsletter to focus activities of OSACS here Monday.
Experts representing the health department and UNICEF stressed the need to enlarge the scope of awareness activities for Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) at the ground-level and called to end discrimination towards people affected with HIV/AIDS.
Health minister Atanu Sabyasachi Nayak said the theme of ‘Getting to Zero’ entails a collective effort at this juncture. “Random awareness campaigns will not draw any good domino effect, but we need to identify and reach the vulnerable classes such as the youths and the migrant labours for effective outcome,” said Nayak.
UNICEF official Yumi Bae remarked that equality is more important here without which the target may remain a distant dream. “We should focus on identifying neglected persons, new victims and make new partners such as traditional institutions for wider awareness programmes,” Bae explained.
Health and family welfare department secretary Arati Ahuja explained the consequences of deadly viruses such as Ebola and HIV which can trigger huge mortalities.
“Long ago we had come to know of a virus called HIV which is a slow killer. Recently, we knew about Ebola which can cause massive mortality. We need to identify the disease and by effective work we can fight the disease,” said Ahuja.
Members of Legislative Assembly Bijay Mahanty and Priyadarshi Mishra elaborated the scenario of HIV/AIDS in the state and sought greater interventions to achieve zero mortality due to the disease.
The World AIDS Day campaign was also attended by state project director Basudev Bahinipati and assistant state project director Chandrika Dash along with other officials of OSACS and volunteers from Indian Red Cross Society’s Orissa branch.