CHENNAI : Suburban commuters have become the newest target for spreading awareness on AIDS and HIV.

The APAC-VHS, US AID, in association with the Southern Railways, pasted large-sized stickers on a suburban train, which was flagged off on Thursday from the Beach railway station.

Speaking on the occasion, N.S. Murali, Honorary Secretary, Voluntary Health Services, Taramani, said the project was aimed at reaching the common man.

Several lakh people used the railway network daily and hence it was decided to use this mode of transport to spread the messages on AIDS/HIV awareness, he said.

Man Singh, Divisional Railway Manager, Chennai Division, hoped that in future the APAC-VHS would use more suburban trains to carry the messages to reach more residents in the suburbs.

Pregnant women

K. Manivasan, Project Director, Chennai Corporation AIDS Prevention and Control Society said a sustained campaign by NGOs had resulted in bringing down the incidence of pregnant women being affected with AIDS in the State.

P. Aravind Kumar, Project Manager Specialist, PHN, USAID, said a few years ago a character was created to create awareness on AIDS, which had a strong impact on the people.

Similarly, a new character `Right Ranga' had been created this time, which was pasted on one of the suburban trains. Before introducing the new character the organisation had conducted a survey among people, including students, he said.

Sanjay Kapur, Division Chief, USAID, said the present campaign not only focussed on condoms, but also on various aspects of awareness. To begin with, one suburban train plying between Chennai Beach and Tambaram railway stations will sport stickers on AIDS/HIV awareness.

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