Daijiworld Media Network – Udupi (RT)
Udupi, Nov 29: The district administration and zilla panchayath, district Health and Family Welfare, District Legal Services Authority, District AIDS Control and prevention unit Udupi, Vidyarathna School and College of Nursing, Shri Dharmasthala Manjunatheshwara Ayurvedha Maha Vidhyalaya Red Cross and NSS, Udhyavara and Lions Club Udupi will hold a World’s AIDS Day Jatha and awareness program on December 1 at 10 am in Mini Town Hall here. Disrict collector Kurma Rao will inaugurate the program and on that day at 9:15 am, the jatha will be held from Board High school to Mini Town Hall. Sharmila S, senior civil judge and member secretary, District Legal Services Authority will inaugurate the procession. said District Health and Family Welfare Officer Dr Nagabhushan Udupa.
He said the theme of the year is EQAULIZE. The main objective is to completely vipe out HIV AIDS, the associated ostracism and also create awareness among the public. In the month of December, awareness about HIV AIDS and a blood donation camp will be conducted in 45 Red Ribbon Club colleges of the district. In 215 schools, training programs will be conducted on HIV AIDS and other adolescent problems among children.
He said that HIV screening tests conducted in the district showed a significant decrease in the number of infected people compared to the past. This time, 137 people in the district have been diagnosed with HIV infection, of which 46 people are from outside the district and three from outside the state. In total, 49 HIV infected people have come from other areas and settled in Udupi. In this regard, efforts are being made to bring the number of HIV to zero in Udupi.
District AIDS Control Officer Dr Chidananda Sanju S V said, "In this test report, no HIV positive cases were found among pregnant women. And from 2016 till now, no child has been found to have HIV through contact with mother. According to the 2022-23 report, 48 people have died due to HIV infection in the district."
In the program, zilla panchayat chief executive officer Prasanna H, district surgeon Dr Madhusudhan Nayak, Dr Anita C Rao, Vidya Rathna School and College of Nursing Udupi, Ramesh K Shetty, president, Lions Club Udupi will participate in the program, he said.