Dr. Kamalika Abeyratne commemoration tomorrow

by Bharatha Malawaraarachchi

President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga and former Indian Prime Minister Inder Kumar Gujral will attend the commemoration of the life and work of late Dr. Kamalika Abeyratne who became an unfortunate victim of the AIDs virus through a freak accident.

The event to be held tomorrow at the BMICH also coincides with the birthday of Dr. Abeyratne and also a Health Ministry sponsored national program to combat the spreading of HIV .

Gujral, attending the ceremony as a special guest, will deliver an address.

The program is titled " fighting against HIV/AIDS " .

"This program is being supported by the Presidential Secretariat and the AIDS prevention program of the Sexually Transmitted Diseases Unit of the Health Ministry," a Ministry spokesman told the Daily News. He said although the spreading of AIDS is at a low prevalence rate in Sri Lanka, much emphasis should be paid towards the prevention of this deadly disease.

"At present the AIDS prevalence rate in Sri Lanka is around 0.3 per cent," said a spokesman adding that more attention should be paid to this. So far in Sri Lanka, the number of confirmed AIDS cases is 591 while the estimated number of suspected cases is around 3600 from 1987 to 2004. The first AIDS patient in Sri Lanka was reported in 1987.

Reports said AIDS has claimed 110 lives in Sri Lanka. Of this figure 39 per cent are male and 61 are women.

The spokesman said many high risk factors are prevalent in society today.

Foreigners, drug addicts, Sri Lankan expatiates, increasing number of refugees, the younger population, low income groups and the expanding sex trade have also increased the danger, he added.