Jammu, November 13 (Scoop News) –J&K Minister for Health, Sham Lal Sharma appealed the people to come in large number for taking guidance/awareness of preventions of dreadful disease. He said the HIV/AIDS epidemic constitutes one of the most formidable challenges to the country.
Minister for Health, Sham Lal Sharma and Minister for Revenue Relief and Rehabilitation, Raman Bhalla today inaugurated 3-day AIDS exhibition in Red Ribbon Express train at Railway Station.
The train reached Jammu by the efforts of Jammu and Kashmir State AIDS Prevention Control Society (JKAPCS) and aims to aware people about HIV/AIDS and other related health issues.
Addressing the gathering, Sharma said that the epidemic exacerbates poverty and increases the burden on the most vulnerable people in the society i.e. the elderly, the women, children and the poor.
The Minister said that such type of exhibition aims to evolve national response to HIV/AIDS in reducing and managing the impact of the epidemic in the world, which include to prevent transmission of HIV infection amongst workers and their families, protect rights of those who are infected and provide access to available care, support and treatment, protect workers from stigma and discrimination related to HIV/AIDS by assuring them equity and dignity at the workplace and ensure safe migration and mobility with access to information services on HIV/AIDS.
He said that the prevalence rate of HIV/AIDS in the country is 0.34% adding that women account for 39% of HIV afflicted population in the country. He said that eight states have HIV prevalence greater than the national average adding that India has been successful in containing the overall prevalence of the epidemic. However, there is no room for complacency as the epidemic spreads from high risk groups to general population, from men to women and from urban to rural areas.
Speaking on the occasion, Bhalla said that HIV infection is preventable adding that promoting prevention efforts through information and education besides supporting changes in attitudes and behavior constitute the basic strategy to stamp out the menace. He said that care and support should guide the response to HIV/AIDS at the workplace. He said that care and support includes the provision of voluntary testing and counseling, workplace accommodation employee and family assistance programmes and access to benefits from health insurance and occupational schemes.
He said that according to NACO an estimated 2.31 million people of India were living with HIV/AIDS in 2007 which include 88.7% adults in 15-49 years, 7.5% aged 50 and above and 3.5% children below 15 years. He said that HIV/AIDS is a major threat to the world. It has shown maximum impact on the most productive segment of the labour force.
Deputy Commissioner, Jammu, Sanjeev Verma, Director Health, Dr. Ashok Sharma, Project Director JKAPCS, Waseem Qureshi, Director Social Welfare, Jammu, Mehmood Rana, Director Horticulture, Jammu, Jia Lal Sharma, Director Planning and Marketing, M. S. Qasba, Joint Director Information, Jammu, Soujanya Sharma, Chief Medical Officer, Jammu, Chief Education Officer, besides other senior officers of JKAPCS, Social Welfare and Health departments and students from various schools of city of temples and locals were present on the occasion.
Earlier, Bhalla and Sharma also inspected the exhibition in the Red Ribbon Express appreciating the artful exhibits display to insensate awareness about the infections of diseases.