Bengaluru: Street plays, awareness walks were held across the city on World Aids Day to spread awareness about the disease and dispel stigmas attached to it.

Hosmat hospital organised a street play near Garuda Mall for raise public awareness with volunteers wielded placards stating, “Hate the disease and not the affected”. The hospital staff took out an AIDS Awareness walk towards Garuda mall and back. The nursing students of St Martha’s hospital participated in an awareness drive about HIV/AIDS among the OPD patients at the hospital.

Several NGOs and other groups also organised programmes to spread awareness about AIDS. City-based non-profit organisation Pravrutthi organised a street play. Another NGO Reaching Hands organised a talk show in a government schools in a bid to create an informed community.

State Health Minister Ramesh Kumar along with Principal Health Secretary Dr Shalini Rajneesh flagged off an awareness rally on AIDS in Belagavi, one of the worst affected in the state with over 32,000 registered HIV positive people.

The Health Minister along with various NGOs and medical students requested the youth and the society to promote high moral values and avoid pre-marital sex. AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF), recently announced their ‘Around the Globe in a Day’ initiative, a series of events across the world to commemorate World AIDS Day to spread awareness about the disease.