PESHAWAR, Dec 1: Speakers at a declamation contest, held here on Saturday in connection with the World Aids Day, expressed concern over the spread of Aids in the developing countries, and called for care to prevent the disease from spreading.

The contest was organized by Welfare Blood Hands, an NGO working in the health sector, in collaboration with the United Nations Aids Programme, the NWFP Aids Control Programme and the NWFP Aids Consortium. Provincial information minister Syed Imtiaz Hussain Gillani was the chief guest.

Speakers said the disease, which had emerged as a deadly phenomenon about two decades ago, had claimed millions of lives across the world.

Some 60 million people had been infected with the virus of HIV/Aids since its inception, they said, adding that presently, the disease was considered as the fourth biggest killer of human beings.

The speakers observed that the most vulnerable to the disease were the young people, and called upon them to follow the teachings of Islam and be careful.

An official of the provincial Aids programme told the audience that a behaviour change programme would be launched soon to educate the people, particularly young men and women, about the dreadful consequences of the disease.

He urged the media to play its role in educating the masses. “If we fail to combat Aids, our coming generation will not forgive us.”

Students from various schools and colleges of the city took part in the contest and threw light on the fatal aspects of the disease.

They urged their fellow students to take care as the only preventive measure from disease.