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Front Page >> Editorials > Story

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Social Education
For the last many years, December 1 has come to mean something to the people of Manipur and not without reason. As a State with one of the highest prevalence of HIV infection and AIDS cases in the country it is not surprising to see so many voluntary organisations and NGOs organizing one function or the other in connection with World AIDS Day which is observed religiously every year throughout the world. This year too has been no exception. 

Being at the media we have received numerous press releases and invitations to cover seminars and functions organized on this day and while we may not be able to send our reporters to personally cover all the numerous functions, we at least try to give as much publicity to the events being held on this day. This we think is our responsibility and as we have noted before on numerous occasions this is something from which we will never shy away from. In a way it is fascinating to see the international community come together as one in the face of one of the most deadly viruses to stalk the human race. 

The pain and trauma of AIDS is something that can only be felt and never fully expressed and we may add that there are numerous families in Manipur who have had to face the nightmare of this dreaded disease. This is where community can step in to provide that much needed solidarity and help. AIDS is not only a clinical disease but has large social implications so much so that today it has become absolutely imperative to sensitize society and the human race to the travails of those infected with this disease. 

In recent years we have seen how NGOs and those directly working in the field of HIV/AIDS have been focusing on the need to remove stigmas attached to AIDS patients and apart from the disease, we feel the big fight is against society's perception of the disease.

It is for this very reason, why we feel that the fight against this disease has to be launched on a two pronged strategy. We can leave the task of finding the clinical cure and drugs to the scientists and medical professionals but the fight at the social level must be carried out by all of us, particularly the media, the various NGOs and other voluntary organisations. The Manipur AIDS Control Society has been leaving no stone unturned to spread awareness of the disease to the grass root level and this we feel should be encouraged. 

As a former top level functionary of MACS put it, the awareness message of AIDS should be repeated umpteen times, just like the manner in which the soft drinks companies have been promoting their product. In a way this means, that those involved in spreading the message of awareness need to come out with innovative ideas to catch the attention of the public and deliver their message in such a manner that it will have an effective impact. 

Shumang Lilas can be used as an effective medium of spreading the awareness message of AIDS and yes the numerous medium of mass communication such as radio, TV, newspapers, magazines, hoardings etc can be put to effective use. Even as we observe World AIDS Day we should also give a thought to those living with HIV especially young children and widows. That would be the most befitting manner to observe the day.

(Courtesy: The Sangai Express)

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