RED RIBBON EXPRESS

RED RIBBON EXPRESS

The Red Ribbon Express, a campaign on wheels launched by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, to carry messages on HIV/AIDS and other infectious diseases across the country, will reach Kerala on April 23.A meeting of representatives of various departments called here on Friday by Health Secretary, Rajeev Sadanandan, took stock of the arrangements in the State to receive the train and to ensure that the messages carried by it reaches the public.The train exhibition which reaches Palakkad railway station on April 23, will visit various districts till May 5 and conduct awareness campaigns.The train will tour Kannur on April 24 and 25, Kozhikode on April 26 and 27, halt at Thrissur on April 28 and move on to Ernakulam on April 29 and 30. The train is scheduled to be in Alappuzha on May 1 and 2, in Kollam on May 3 and 4 and it will reach Thiruvananthapuram on May 5 where exhibitions will be held on specially erected platforms.

This is the third phase of the campaign, which successfully completed its initial two phases in 2007-08 and 2008-09. The Red Ribbon Express is a campaign intended to allay fears about HIV/AIDS in the minds of the public; to educate the public on prevention of HIV and the modern treatment methods, and also to reduce the stigma associated with the disease.The exhibition is mainly targeting women; children; people's representatives; NCC and police personnel; and educational institutions to strengthen awareness about HIV.Eight bogies of the train will host the exhibition. Coaches 1 to 3 will feature an awareness exhibition on HIV/AIDS, while coach 4 will feature public health and prevention of infectious diseases. Coach 5 has been arranged as an auditorium, where training workshops for health workers will be held. Coach 6 will have doctors who will offer HIV counselling and testing.

Four HIV-positive cases had been detected out of the 855 persons tested utilising the facilities on Red Ribbon Express in the initial two phases of the campaign. Two coaches will function as office rooms. Blood group detection and blood donation camps will also be arranged in railway stations where the train halts.The meeting decided to utilise all means of publicity to bring the message of Red Ribbon Express to the public. Buses will be arranged in locations where the train cannot stop, to enable people to visit the nearest railway station where it halts.It was also decided to organise special programmes in Palakkad, focussing on areas where migrant labourers are dwelling in large numbers.

                                             Prof. John Kurakar