HIV/AIDS haunts Armed Forces: Naval Official

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HIV/AIDS haunts Armed Forces: Naval Official

Thursday, December 13 2007 16:07 (IST)

Kochi, Dec 13 (UNI) Southern Naval Command (SNC) Flag Officer

Commanding-in-Chief Vice Admiral Sunil K Damle today said though

preventive efforts were taken to check the spread of HIV/AIDS in

Armed Forces from 1980s, it continued to haunt the Forces.

Inaugurating a three-day 'HIV/AIDS Workshop for Peer Group

Educators', organised by naval hospital INHS Sanjivani here, he said

every 13th person in 30 million people living with HIV/AIDS was an

Indian and the Armed Forces had not been spared by the dreaded

disease.

''We form a highly vulnerable population due to many reasons. HIV

affects persons in the prime of their youth when they have the most

to offer to family, society and country,'' he said.

Vice Admiral Damle also highlighted the need to create a band of

dedicated non-medical personnel, trained as Peer Group Educators, to

educate their fellow servicemen about HIV/AIDS.

UNI MA AJ YA ND1608

http://news.oneindia.in/2007/12/13/hivaids-haunts-armed-forces-naval-

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