Army move to battle AIDS

Kumod Verma, [5 Nov, 2006 0207hrs IST TIMES NEWS NETWORK ]

DANAPUR: The Danapur Army Sub-Area headquarters of Bihar, Jharkhand
and Orissa, has launched a massive AIDS awareness campaign here
among jawans and their family members.

During the past several years it had been observed that several Army
jawans in particular were detected HIV positive.
The Sub-Area has thus decided to launch an AIDS awareness campaign
on priority basis among Army jawans and their family members at
Danapur Cantonment, said Sub Area spokesperson Col A P Pandey.

Lauding the role of the Army Wives' Welfare Association (AWWA) of
the Sub Area led by its president Ritu Vijeshwar, wife of the Sub
Area commander S K Vijeshwar, Col Pandey said members of the
association had been playing a pivotal role in creating awareness
among the jawans and their family members.

They are in touch with the family members of jawans and often visit
their houses with a team of doctors to educate them about the
disease and the preventive measures required to be taken, he said.

About 600 members of the AWWA are actively associated with this
campaign and other welfare works in these three states of the Sub
Area headquarters, Col Pandey said.

Screening of films based on AIDS awareness and health check-up camp
have been a part of the massive awareness campaign launched by the
Army officers' wives recently. Counselling at the personal level is
being held at the Danapur Cantonment especially for those who are
completely unaware of the disease.

Proper screening and blood tests were held at the Danapur Military
Hospital for all those visiting the hospital, Col Pandey said adding
unless full awareness is created among the jawans, the AIDS menace
could not be completely checked in the armed forces in the country.

Col Pandey said though the AIDS menace in the Indian armed forces
has not been alarming so far, two to three cases of HIV positive are
being reported at the Danapur Military Hospital each year.

However, these cases are mostly referred and directed ones since the
HIV positive-afflicted jawans belong to Bihar and they prefer
treatment here, he said.

Col Pandey admitted that a few cases of HIV positive among ex-
servicemen are also being referred to the Danapur Military Hospital
now-a-days for their proper treatment.

According to sources, jawans in the age group of 18 to 45 are
vulnerable to the disease

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