HIV/AIDS Awareness Among IGNOU Learners: A Sample Study of Andhra Pradesh Learners

Abstract

HIV/AIDS – Gives a jerk in listener’s mind and body. It creates Tsunami waves for general Public. Prevention is the only way to be saved from this dreaded disease. Whether knowingly or unknowingly if any one is infected, the person has to sacrifice his/her life. There is no excuse or exemption. There can be a time difference between infection and death, but the death is confirmed. So, AWARENESS is very crucial in saving oneself from this tragic end. This awareness is also important among various sections of the Society especially to prevent “Social Killing” of People Living With HIV(PLWHA). It is said that PLWHAs get a death like situation twice. One is the physical death and the other is due to the ill treatment by the Society, because of stigma and apathy attached to the disease. So, to avoid this “Social killing”, there should be proper awareness on the routes of spread of the disease etc. Even though there were many reports on HIV awareness of different sections of the Society, including college students, but there are no such reports on HIV awareness of Distance Learners. This article reports the results of such study.