Kathmandu: Minister of State for Health Tirtha Ram Dangol said today that public awareness is the only remedy to combat the epidemic of HIV/AIDS.

“We must generate awareness among the people to save them from HIV/AIDS,” Dangol said.

Dangol, who was the chief guest at a function ” World Campaign Against HIV/AIDS” organised by National HIV/AIDS Control Centre on the occasion of the 13th AIDS Day in Kathmandu on Friday, further said that men must change their behaviour towards women to make the society free from the deadly scourge of HIV/AIDS.

He also commended the roles played by various governmental, non-governmental organisations and international donor agencies for extending support to attempts to check the spread of the disease in the country.

The slogan of the campaign is “AIDS-Men make a difference.”

Speaking at the function, Health Secretary Padam Prasad Pokhrel said that HIV/AIDS has adversely affected social, economic and health sectors world-wide.

Pokhrel, who also chaired the programme, said that everybody has to change his/her personal behaviour and attitude to be safe from the disease.

He also emphasised the need to generate public awareness in this regard.

Dr. Michael Hahns, Country Programme Advisor of the UN/AIDS, was of the opinion that every member of the society has to fulfil his/her responsibility properly to keep the world free from HIV/AIDS.

Hahns further pointed out that the world’s future will be dark if commercial sex is not controlled. He appealed to the students and other sections of the society to play their roles accordingly to combat HIV/AIDS.

Likewise, Dr. Claus Wagner, representative of the World Health Organisation (WHO) to Nepal, said that HIV/AIDS can be detrimental to the interest of the nation and people and it can also have negative effects on the economic and health sectors.

Dr. Wagner further said that it is everybody’s responsibility not only to protect the health and life of the present generation but also to protect the future generations from the disease.

Dr. Benu Bahadur Karki, Acting Director General of the Department of Health Services, said the present scenario of HIV/AIDS indicates that the efforts made so far to control the disease have not been so effective.

Dr. Karki also said that both the sexes have to be alert against the disease. Talking of the social condition of the victims of HIV/AIDS, he said love and affection must be shown towards them.

Speaking on behalf of the National AIDS Network, Rishi Ojha said that the country would have to spend billions of rupees to control HIV/AIDS in future if urgent measures are not taken now.

Ojha said that safe sex is the only the means to control the disease.

A large number of students, social workers, intellectuals, among others, participated in the mass meeting preceded by a rally.

Globally, 36.1 million people are afflicted with HIV/AIDS. In 2000 alone, 5.3 million people have been infected with HIV. Similarly, the total number of deaths due to AIDS stands at 21.8 million.