More awareness programmes on HIV/AIDS
 

Lakmini RODRIGO

COLOMBO: The HIV/AIDs Control Project Officers have been directed to appoint a committee to further regularise the awareness programmes on HIV and AIDS by the Heath and Nutrition Ministry Secretary Ranjith Maligaspe, Health Ministry sources said.

The orders have been given to change the Sri Lankan public's beliefs and concepts on the disease by improving the quality and standards of the current HIV\AIDS prevention and awareness programmes.

According to Health Ministry sources 737 patients in Sri Lanka were reported to be infected by the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) out of which, only 212 had developed AIDS.

But the estimated number of HIV positive patients in the country is around 4,500 including the number of people who had not sought medical care and who were not aware of the fact that they were infected by the virus.

This can be considered as a very small number in comparison with the five million HIV positive patients in India, the Ministry source said.

He added that in spite of the many awareness programmes that had been carried out around the country, some do not understand the difference between HIV which is the virus and AIDS which is the developed stage of the disease.

The rate of spread of HIV in Sri Lanka was as low as 0.04 per cent and the disease is transmitted mainly sexually. The Ministry source told the Daily News that the public should definitely be educated on the prevention methods and enlightened on the transmission of the disease.