Jharkhand: Little awareness about AIDS: Study

November 14, 2003

Little awareness about AIDS: Study

TIMES NEWS NETWORK[ THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2003 02:50:25 AM ]

RANCHI : Though it is more than two years since the Jharkhand Aids

Prevention Centre was established, very few people are aware about

the disease in the state. In a recent study conducted by ORG Centre

for Social Research on a sample of 299 people, it was found that

though four out of every five respondents had heard about Aids, only

half of them knew that Aids could be prevented and only one in five

knew that Aids was incurable.

Moreover, only eight per cent of the respondents had correct

knowledge about Aids and most of the respondents had no knowledge

about the symptoms of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs).

Till now JAPC has carried out awareness drive only in a few colleges

and other public functions, but has so far failed to reach the rural

masses.

It has now identified 440 schools, where Aids education would be

provided to students of Class IX and XII. But nothing concrete has

been done, especially in the case of target groups.

Training NGOs is one of the first steps in this direction, but much

depends upon how the work done by these NGOs is monitored and

evaluated by JPAC. Rajeev Arun Ekka, project director, JAPC,

says, " An outside agency would evaluate the performance of these NGOs

on regular intervals. "

Moreover, JAPC has no care and support centres for those detected

with the virus, as the number of cases are not enough. " We provide

those affected with counselling, but as the number of cases are too

low, we don't have a centre for care or support, " he said.

The lack of awareness has been a cause for concern, considering the

fact that only 693 persons got themselves tested at Voluntary

Counselling Confidentiality & Testing Centres (VCCTCs). Out of them

36 were found HIV-positive, says Ekka.

Recently, in a bid to spread awareness, JAPC trained nine NGOs who

would now get financial and other help to carry out mass awareness

programmes, especially among truckers and sex-workers.

As more than 70 per cent Aids cases are sexually transmitted ones,

JAPC is propagating a simple ABC programme. " We advise people to

abstain from sex with outsiders, and be faithful to their spouse. If

they don't follow the first two, we advise them C, to use condoms

while having sex with a third person

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