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Thursday, Aug 19, 2004

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Kids to learn about AIDS

By Our Special Correspondent

CHANDIGARH, AUG. 18. The Haryana AIDS Control Society plans to start Family Health and Life Skill Education Programme in 2,000 schools across seven districts -- Panchkula, Rewari, Sirsa, Kurukshetra, Bhiwani, Hisar and Karnal -- to make school children aware about HIV and

AIDS.

This was revealed in a review meeting of the AIDS Control Programme in Haryana held here under the chairmanship of the Haryana Chief Minister, Om Prakash Chautala.

He directed the officers of the AIDS Control Society to take steps to curb the disease. He stressed the need to generate awareness about the target population by using all means including mass media and electronic media.

The Commissioner and Secretary, Health, Krishna Mohan, said that the main objective of the National AIDS Control Programme was to keep HIV prevalence rate of adult population in Maharashtra below five per cent, in Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu below three per cent and below one per cent in the remaining states including Haryana, where the epidemic is still at a nascent stage. The other objective was to reduce blood born transmission of HIV to less than one per cent, to attain awareness level of not less than 90 per cent among the youth and others in reproductive age group and achieve condom use of not less than 90 per cent among high risk categories like commercial sex workers.

He said that mapping of high risk behaviour population which include female sex workers, homosexuals, intravenous drug users, truck drivers, migrant workers and street children had been carried out in all the 19 district of Haryana. At present 48 blood banks were functioning in Haryana for testing of each blood unit for Hepatitis-B, Hepatits-C, Syphilis, Malaria and HIV to ensure safety in transfusion of blood. Three new blood banks would soon be opened at Fatehabad, Jhajjar and Mandi Dabwali.

To ensure blood safety, professional blood donation has been prohibited and voluntary blood donation is being encouraged. At present 30 voluntary counselling and testing centres (VCTC) were functional at Karnal, Panchkula, Hisar, Yamunangar, Sonipat, Faridabad, Gurgaon, Sirsa, Ambala, Rewari, Jind, Kaithal and Medical College, Rohtak. This facility would be provided in the Fatehabad, Jhajjar, Narnaul, Panipat, Kurukshetra and Bhiwani districts in the next financial year. In these centres a nominal fee of Rs. 10 is charged for the HIV test and the identity of the person is kept confidential. Pre-test and post- counselling will also be provided by counsellors to the person undergoing HIV tests.

Mr.Mohan said that so far six rounds of family health awareness campaigns had been organised to make people aware about sexually transmitted diseases. One tele-counselling centre was functioning at phone number 1097 in Yamunanagar for giving information about AIDS. Two helplines have also been provided at Rohtak and Karnal for providing information and creating awareness about this disease among the people. One community care centre for care and support of people living with HIV and AIDS has been set up in Yamunanagar.

He disclosed that the Haryana AIDS Control Society has been made the regional coordinator of 10 states of the Northern Region for computerised Project Financial Management.

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