December 02, 2006	Saturday	Ziqa'ad 10, 1427

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LAHORE, Dec 1: The Centre for Clinical Psychology, Punjab University, in collaboration with the Punjab Aids Control Programme on Friday organised a walk in connection with the International Aids Day to create awareness about the disease and its prevention.

The walk jointly led by institute director Dr Nosheen K Rehman and PACP programme manager Dr Ali Razaque took a round of all academic departments on the PU New Campus and concluded at the Shaikh Zayed Islamic Centre.

Speaking on the occasion, Dr Nosheen and Dr Razaque stressed that every person must ensure that disposable syringes, sterilised surgical instruments and screened blood be used to avoid HIV and Aids. They said the HIV and Aids could also be prevented through safe sex. They also said these diseases were not communicable through touch, air or mosquito bite.

At a seminar on Aids held at the APWA Youth College for Girls under the auspices of the Pakistan Medical Society, Punjab Health Minister Dr Tahir Ali Javed said the Punjab government was chalking out a plan for public awareness and seminars were being held in educational institutions in this regard. He said the government had taken measures to check spread of Aids.

Punjab Assembly’s Standing Committee on Health chairman Dr Muzaffar Ali Sheikh and Pakistan Medical Society chairman Dr Masood Akhtar Sheikh said that a comprehensive policy was needed to control spread of epidemics. They said that without creating awareness about diseases and their symptoms it was not possible to check spread of epidemics.

Meanwhile, the Movement Against Drug Abuse organised an awareness seminar at a local hotel.

Dr Razaque explained the Punjab government’s commitment towards the control of HIV and Aids. He said the PACP was providing HIV and Hepatitis B and C screening kits at 120 blood banks operating in the public-sector hospitals in the province.

WHO, Punjab, Operations Officer Chaudhry Ismatullah, Unicef’s Shamshad Qureshi, MADA’s Engineer Nabi Bakhsh and Family Planning Association of Pakistan’s Dr Asif Mirza also spoke on the occasion.