Southern Naval Command Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief Vice Admiral Sunil K Damle on Thursday said though preventive efforts were taken to check the spread of HIV/AIDS in the armed forces from the 1980s, it has continued to haunt the forces.
Inaugurating a three-day 'HIV/AIDS Workshop for Peer Group Educators', organised by naval hospital INHS Sanjivani in Kochi, he said every 13th person among the 30 million people living with HIV/AIDS was an Indian and the armed forces had not been spared by the dreaded disease.
"'We form a highly vulnerable population due to many reasons. HIV affects persons in the prime of their youth when they have the most to offer to family, society and country," he said.
"Prevention involves a few simple elementary lifestyle changes which if incorporated can save us from certain death. Much ignorance stems from our reticence to talk about sex, sexually transmitted diseases and HIV/AIDS," he said.
Appreciating the initiative taken to conduct such a workshop, he said the creation of a band of dedicated non-medical personnel, trained as peer group educators, will be able to educate their fellow servicemen and brethren about the perils of risky behaviours, their avoidance and thus aid in the prevention of the disease.
The workshop, with the theme 'train the trainers', aims to train and equip 50 peer group educators from various walks of life including armed forces personnel, wives and school teachers.
Skills for HIV/AIDS indentification, prevention and counselling will be imparted, besides offering a deeper insight into the social, ethical, legal and human rights issues associated with the disease, he added.
Additional Reportage: PTI
