Sensitizing migrant workers on HIV

An advocacy cum sensitization programme with the migrant workers was organized by Dimapur Network for People Living with HIV/AIDS (DNP+) on January 16 at Khermahal under the theme “Together We Care.”
According to DNP+ president, Moa Phom, a social worker of DNP+, Garland achumi, spoke on the basic of HIV/AIDS who also briefed about the differences of the diseases and reminded that one should not confuse their terms.
The president in a press release also said that if one is a HIV positive, he or she should cannot be termed as an AIDS patient as she felt that an AIDS patient is the one who is in the last stage of HIV for which until and unless the patient maintain their health and adhere to right treatment and medication, they are not considered as AIDS patient.
She further briefed about the route to HIV/AIDS transmission including unprotected sexual contact with infected person, direct contact with or transfusion of infected blood, sharing infected needles and breast feeding from mother to child during pregnancy at the same time negated the notion of HIV positive people as a threat to the society.
The release also stated that follow up programme was initiated by Tiala, District Advocacy Officer, DNP+, who in her speech said that an HIV positive person should not lose hope in life and encouraged them about the medication (ART), freely available through which the HIV virus could be controlled and hence sustain life.
She also asserted that it should be the duty of each and every individual to know one’s status by undergoing voluntary testing and if found positive should go for different clinical test and medication in time.
It may be mentioned that the objectives behind the programme was to reach “vulnerable sections” of people to HIV/AIDS including migrant workers or labours, who are seldom neglected at the same time considered most vulnerable to the epidemic and also to provide necessary awareness to HIV/AIDS infection and further guide them for necessary counseling and treatment.