The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : Seminars, rally mark World AIDS Day in Kanyakumari

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Tuesday, Dec 02, 2008
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

Seminars, rally mark World AIDS Day in Kanyakumari

Staff Reporter

Nagercoil: Seminars, rally, procession and distribution of prizes to winners of various cultural and other competitions organised by the non-governmental organisations marked the World AIDS Day programmes in different parts of the district.

The programmes were organised aimed at creating awareness among the people, especially among children and college students, to know about the evils of the killer disease. However all programmes organised by the Government were cancelled due to the sudden demise of the former Prime Minister, V.P. Singh.

Presiding over a seminar organized by Blessing Social Welfare Trust at Nagercoil, N.Anitha Pon Jenaslin said that World AIDS day was being observed every year since 1988 to revive the commitment of key stakeholders who were working in the field of HIV. Tamil Nadu has emerged as one of the largest service providers in the field of HIV/AIDS with a network of around 900 voluntary counselling and testing centres.

The theme for this World AIDS Day was ‘Stop AIDS – keep the promise – leadership’.

According to the National AIDS Control Organisation over 54,70,000 people have tested for HIV at the 4245 voluntary counselling and testing centres located all over the country.

‘Hello Plus’

R. Kingsly of CFAR said that ‘Hello Plus,’ a toll-free helpline to clarify doubts about HIV and to provide linkages to services has been launched from November 29, 2008 in the district.

HIV positive people needed professional help and guidance to cope up with fear and depression that might have come after knowing that they have been affected by the disease.

Hello Plus, would be of great support to those who needed the assistance.

The toll free helpline number is 1-800-419-1800 and can be reached from a mobile phone or a landline phone across India and service will be provided between 7.00 a.m. and 11 p.m. There were as many as 1059 positive living with HIV/AIDS in the district, as per the Kanyakumari Medical College Hospital records at Asaripallam, said Kingsly.

The Indian Red Cross of the district unit organised a procession in Nagercoil. The president, Ahmed Khan, secretary, Natarajan and a large number of school and college students participated.

Similarly a procession at Nagercoil was organised by the James Education Trust, Colachel. Chairman of the trust Prem Kumar and others participated.

The procession started from the Collectorate and reached the Veppamoodu junction.

Students holding placards to high light the evils of the killer disease, which adversely affect the harmony and the peace loving people of the society.

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