India and Karnataka should be AIDS free in the next five years: CM Siddaramaiah

Bengaluru: Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said that India and Karnataka should be AIDS free in the next five years. He appealed that everyone should work together in this direction.

He was speaking after inaugurating the World AIDS Day 2023 and 25th Silver Jubilee organized at Banquet Hall Vidhana Souda on Friday.

Today is World AIDS Day. It is the responsibility of all to prevent this epidemic. The disease was discovered in India in 1986 and in Karnataka during 1987. In recent days the number of HIV patients and its prevalence is decreasing. This is a good development. Awareness should be created among the people and the youth to build a HIV free society. There was a slogan to bring the number of AIDS affected to zero by 2015-2020. But this goal has not been achieved. Achieving this goal is the responsibility of both the health department and the entire society, he said.

Precautionary measures should be followed to control the disease

HIV affected can lead a peaceful life. I hope that the zero day will happen in five or six years. India ranks 3rd in the world. We need to be more aware. Some people have misconceptions about the disease. They think that if one talks to a patient, they can contract the disease. But it won't. It is mostly spread through transfusion of blood. People should be aware of all this. Disease can be prevented if we are aware of the causes. Precautionary measures should be taken beforehand instead of suffering later. Efforts should be made to create collective awareness. If one contracts AIDS, nothing happens immediately. But it is an incurable disease. Despite all the development in science, no cure has been found for AIDS. Health department must conduct researches regarding this, he said.

This year's AIDS Day is observed with the motto: Let Communities Lead. Our government had implemented the AIDS Control Act in 2017, he said.

CM speaks to an AIDS patient

Talking to an HIV affected person who participated in the programme, the CM told the audience that he has lived for 26 years after contracting the disease and was very brave. He appreciated that he has faced the disease bravely even though he had undergone angioplasty.

Health Minister Dinesh Gundurao, Chief Minister's Political Secretary Govindaraju, APS President Abhay Singh, Sanjana and officials were present.