HIV Awareness Program Held in Karsog’s Maihran Panchayat

Karsog, Sept 2 – Under the state-wide HIV awareness campaign, the Health Department organized an awareness program in Maihran Gram Panchayat of Karsog. ICTC Counselor Nanda Sharma from Civil Hospital Karsog educated women and youth on causes, symptoms, and preventive measures of HIV.

She highlighted that HIV spreads mainly through unsafe sexual relations, contaminated blood transfusion, sharing of needles among drug users, and mother-to-child transmission. Stressing on prevention, she urged safe practices, blood screening before transfusion, use of sterilized needles, and regular health check-ups.

Sharma warned that drug abuse, especially substances like “chitta,” increases the risk of HIV among youth. She called for empathy and support towards HIV-infected persons rather than discrimination. The state government aims to cover around 6,000 villages and 1,500 educational institutions between August 12 and October 12 under this campaign.