Speaking on the occasion, Deputy Commissioner of Udupi Hemalatha informed that Udupi district has been treated as red zone and awareness regarding the preventive measures is inevitable to reduce the number of affected cases. Even though the awareness among masses in the district is satisfactory, the virus is spreading owing to ignorance regarding the causes and symptoms in the rural areas. People who migrate abroad bring the virus with them and this is one of the main causes for increasing the AIDS infectants, she said.

A sort of social stigma has been attached to the disease. No person declares open that he/she is being infected with the disease fearing the social disgrace. Confidence building measures and supporting the patient to boost his mental strength will help the patient to fight out the disease, the DC said. Earlier, inaugurating the programme ZP Vice President Dr Santhosh Kumar Shetty opined that the affected people should be supported with love and affection without any sort of social taboo. They should be treated as any other patient. In Udupi district, the mortality rate is high among HIV+ people owing to family and societal negligence, he said.

ART Centre Head Dr B M Hegde informed that the centre has handled as many as 1,000 patients in the short period of time. About 1,950 HIV affected cases have been registered in the Centre, of which 1,190 are under ART medication. About 120 succumbed to death due to negligence in the intake of medicine. Lack of family and society support had pushed them in to deep depression. Proper medication can help a patient to live an uncomplicated life up to 10-15 years, he added.