ISLAMABAD, Oct 23: City Traffic Police personnel, most of the time found struggling to control the growing traffic mess, have been chosen for carrying the Aids awareness message as part of the World Aids Day activities aimed at improving general public knowledge about the devastating disease.

They were selected as a partner of the National Aids Control Program (NACP), which has launched the ‘Partner against Aids’ campaign to combat HIV/ Aids in the country.

The interesting choice of traffic police as partners in this campaign, Program Manager NACP Dr Asma Bokhari explained, was primarily because of risky behaviour of police personnel and to win over their support for ending stigmatisation of vulnerable groups like sex workers and drug users by their department, which creates hurdles in the Aids control activities.

Over 600 personnel of Islamabad Traffic Police would act as the Red Ribboners while performing their routine traffic duties. In addition to wearing the symbolic red ribbons, they would also distribute among the commuters the literature about the disease provided by the NACP. The police would be helped by school students in the distribution of the information material.

The umbrellas used by the traffic police at the crossings would also be carrying the HIV/Aids control messages. The ITP will arrange a float on World Aids Day branded with the messages for HIV/ Aids awareness.

Meanwhile, from first week of November Rawalpindi Railway Station would be branded by the NACP for educating the masses about the disease. The other two railway stations selected for the branding project of the NACP are Karachi and Khanewal.

Explaining the selection of these three railway stations for the pilot project, the NACP Programme Manager Dr Asma Bokhari said they were chosen in view of their significance as junction stations.

Under the branding project, messages on Aids would be prominently displayed at these railway stations. Also, the messages would be relayed on closed circuit television at these stations and education material provided.

According to official figures, there are currently 3,591 registered cases including 3,224 HIV positive and 367 active cases of Aids. But, it is feared that the actual number may be some 30 times the registered numbers.