Next mission is to make Madurai AIDS-free, says Collector

Addressing students of the American College at Madurai on the occasion of World AIDS Day, the Collector claimed that initially people were not aware of AIDS and hence the prevalence rate was high but as awareness increased, the prevalence rate decreased. Youth are the torch bearers in spreading awareness about HIV. Therefore there are many Red Ribbon clubs functioning in colleges. The collector also claimed that in Madurai district which has a population of around 34 lakhs there are only 365 patients identified with AIDS and this amounts roughly to 0.01 percentage. With the large number of awareness programs being held, the number would soon reach zero in the coming years said the Collector. He further added that there is a lot of apprehension about AIDS in the society. 

Still there is a wrong notion that the disease spreads through physical contact, which is not true. The social stigma attached with the disease should be removed, said the Collector. Deputy Director of Health, Arjun Kumar, said that earlier the major reason for the spread of AIDS was bisexual contact with persons already affected with AIDS but now the most important reason is gay sex. Even the positive rate of AIDS for pregnant women has come down, said Arjun Kumar.  Earlier in the program students were administered an AIDS awareness pledge by the Collector and a two minutes silence was observed with candles for those who had lost their lives for AIDS. International AIDS Day is observed on December 1 from 1988 and the theme for this year is “Hands Up For HIV Prevention”