Polling booths used for AIDS awareness

May 11, 2004

Polling booths used for AIDS awareness in Kolkata

Bharuch (Gujarat) May 11, 2004 3:47:23 PM IST

A voluntary organisation here used the general elections as an

opportunity to rally support for AIDS, perhaps the most sensitive

issue in the country.

The volunteers from the US-based International Institute of Social

Development (IISD) swarmed polling booth across the city to

distribute condoms and educate people on the myths and facts of the

deadly disease.

The idea was to make people accept AIDS as an issue as relevant to

their lives as any of the other poll planks.

Moreover, the huge crowds spared the organisation much expenditure

and time otherwise needed to arrange such events.

" We want to create AIDs awareness, we want to enhance that. Here in

India especially, it's a problem, AIDS spreading and all. That's why

we are here, we want to make people aware, especially on this

political day, that they should care about AIDS. See it an issue in

society, " Philip Zwipzyrvski of the IISD said.

Even as the battle against the deadly disease continues, thousands of

HIV/AIDS patients in India have a new ray of hope as the World Health

Organisation unveils plans to rush life-saving Anti-RetroViral (ARV)

drugs to three million of the world's poor.

According to official figures, there are nearly four million HIV-

positive cases in the country, the highest after South Africa. Some

reports estimate the number of people afflicted in India could rise

to 20 million by 2010. (ANI)

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