A seven-day awareness programme on AIDS and HIV being conducted by the Department of Health and Family Welfare was inaugurated here on Monday.
Superintendent of Police Bhushan Gulabrao Borase flagged off a rally near Sir M. Visvesvaraya statue, off the Bengaluru-Mysuru highway to mark the launch of the programme.
Addressing the participants, Mr. Borase underlined the need to create awareness among the people on the preventive measures to be taken to effectively control the spread of sexually transmitted diseases. Meanwhile, Health and Family Welfare Minister U.T. Khader, who was present, said there was no dearth of anti-HIV drugs in the State. District Family and Health Officer H.P. Manche Gowda said that the district administration had launched the campaign.
Basic information about AIDS and HIV would be provided during the campaign from March 2 to 8. The department had constituted 400 teams to educate the people on the prevention of sexually transmitted diseases, he said. Members of several non-governmental organisations, Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHA), Auxiliary Nurse Midwifes (ANM), government employees, workers attached to Anti-Retroviral Therapy (ART) centres and Integrated Testing and Counselling Centres, and teacher participated in rally. Later, a public function was held at Sri Nalwadi Krishnaraja Wadiyar Kala Mandir.
