Kerala - Kottayam   

AIDS awareness campaign launched

Staff Reporter

To rehabilitate HIV-positive children

KOTTAYAM: The battle is on. Even as the unfortunate five have confined themselves to their secluded life at the rehabilitation centre Asha Kiran, the Kerala State AIDS Control Society and the Government machinery have swung into action to organise an extensive awareness campaign to bring back the HIV-positive children back to normal life here.

The five children, four girls and a boy, aged between four and eight had to abandon their studies as the parents at Mar Dionysius Lower Primary School (MDLPS) at Pampady objected to them studying at the school.

Minister for Health P.K. Sreemathy launched the high-profile campaign. She addressed the anxious parents at the village school and later held a meeting with the authorities of Asha Kiran. She also met the HIV-infected children. Her message to the parents was simple. Their anxiety was understandable, but as a caring society, we could not and would not abandon the children. "This is not the first incident of its kind, we have in our own State, a number of previous experiences. In all these cases, the children are now continuing their normal studies" she told the parents.

But she made it clear that the infected children would not be thrust upon them.

The parents expressed their anxiety. "We are not ready to turn our children into guinea pigs," said many of them. But their main complaint was that they were not taken into confidence by the management while allowing the HIV positive children in. "This is a school were children from poor families study. Why can't they send them to some schools where those from the rich families study?" asked one of them.

"Two of the afflicted children are close friends of my daughter. Why did you allow them to get so close?" asked a mother, weeping. "We do not want any awareness campaign. Let them take the children to other schools under their own management," said another parent.

However, among such tense arguments, there was hope. "If they can send one student to another school, we shall take all the other four" said a parent.

Rajan Khobragade, special secretary Health and director, Kerala AIDS Control Society, told mediapersons that they would organise an intensive campaign at the inter-personal level to allay the fears of the people.

The first step would be to instil confidence in the parents and as part of the effort, Members of the Panchayati Raj organisations, Kudumbasree, the Health dispensation workers would come together to spearhead the campaign. On Friday, students, parents and teachers who had similar experiences in the past would share their experiences with the students, parents and teachers at MDLP school. They would also visit the infected children on Friday.

The campaign would be intensified with door-to-door interactions. Members of the Panchayati Raj organisations, Kudumbasree, health dispensation workers at the local-level, non-governmental organisations functioning in the areas at the local-level, teachers and school headmasters would function as a Rapid Action Force. The District Collector and the District Medical Officer would be in charge of the campaign.

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