AP: Get a condom from STD booth

Andhra Pradesh, which has the second largest number of HIV/AIDS-affected people in the country, has the lowest usage of condoms.

To bridge the gap, the State Aids Control Society, a state-run organisation, launched a massive campaign on Tuesday to make condoms available everywhere.

The campaign, with Telugu films' star couple Rajasekhar and Jeevitha as its brand ambassador, aims not only at increasing awareness about the necessity of using condoms to be safe from HIV virus and sexually transmitted diseases but also make condoms available right from wine shops to public phone booths, said RV Chandravadan, director of APSACS.

The campaign to be run by APSACS, National Aids Control Organization and others will have theme title of 'Do You Have it' to remove the social stigma attached to condom.

"We will make condoms available at 51,000 non-traditional outlets because people are shy to buy condoms from the medical shops which are normally crowded," he said.

Significantly, condom-vending machines have also been installed in several IT and ITES companies, specially the BPOs.

"Initially there was a resistance from these companies to the idea but later they relented and it is showing good results," Chandravadan said.

Such outlets have been installed at more than a dozen leading IT companies.

Officials said low usage of condoms was a cause of major concern as the state has 500,000 HIV/AIDS-affected people, second only to Maharashtra.

The 50,000 outlets, which had never stocked condoms earlier, will sell 80 lakh pieces of condoms every year. The product will also be taken to the rural areas through the rural medical practitioners.

Apart from advertisements, and TV commercials, the campaign will use 23 publicity vans to take the message to the people.  Earlier the state government had floated the idea of selling condoms through barbers, but it did not materialize.