Andhra Pradesh - Visakhapatnam   

Pledge taken to stop spread of AIDS

— Photo:C.V. Subrahmanyam

with a message: Students participating in a rally organised by GVMC in Visakhapatnam on Monday.

VISAKHAPATNAM: World AIDS Day was observed here on Monday with the students taking part in rallies in large numbers and a pledge administered at various meetings to intensify the campaign to stop the spread of HIV/AIDS.

At the official function conducted by the district administration, a rally in which students, youth and NGO and service club members took part, was flagged off at the Mahatma Gandhi statue opposite GVMC building by Mayor Pulusu Janardhana Rao. Municipal Commissioner B. Sridhar was also present. The rally went up to Andhra University Assembly Hall.

Speakers including AU Rector B. Pavateswara Rao, District Medical and Health Officer J. Sarojini, Additional DMHO (Leprosy and AIDS) P. Rajendra Prasad, NSS coordinator Narasimha Murthy and others called for awareness on safe sex methods and bringing those diagnosed HIV positive to Anti-Retroviral Therapy centres set up at government referral hospitals.

Visakhapatnam Steel Plant Chairman and Managing Director P.K. Bishnoi at a World AIDS Day meeting complimented the efforts of the Medical and Corporate Social Responsibility Department of Visakhapatnam Steel Plant in the prevention and control of HIV/AIDS.

East Coast Railway Shramik Congress took out a rally from the railway station to the DRM office. DRM Kamilla spoke at the World AIDS Day meeting.

Amar concept school, NAD Kotha Road conducted a rally flagged off by North ACP Y. Prembabu. Later they formed a human chain. An awareness camp was conducted at Daba Gardens by Lions Club, Visakhapatnam (South). Club president M.R. Krishna, health committee chairman Ronaki Ramesh and others took part. Police Commissioner Sambasiva Rao inaugurated a rally in which some 2,000 students took part. The rally started from PM palem cricket stadium and ended at Kommadi junction.

Meanwhile, according to noted physician Kutikuppala Surya Rao, new medication Maravoric will usher in a revolution in treatment of HIV/AIDS, Dr. Rao, a Padmasri recipient, told The Hindu on Monday that the new drug would prevent entry of HIV into white cells. However, it was not proved yet whether it could prevent the acquisition of virus.

Dr. Rao said as of now, there was not much progress in research on developing a vaccination. However, he said the second-line of antiretroviral drugs were giving good results in arresting the progression of the virus.

He said silent cardiac dysfunction in HIV positive patients receiving combination of antiretroviral therapies had turned into a major concern.

He said several patients in a sample study were found to be having resting cardiac (mainly diastolic) dysfunction, impaired cardiac responses to exercise, reduced peripheral muscle oxygenation and exercise intolerance.

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