The Madras University, in association with the U.K. based Scottish Centre for Infection and Environmental Health will soon launch a project to educate the rural people in Tamil Nadu on infectious diseases.

Sponsored and supported by the British Council, this Indo-British joint project envisages developing advanced CD modules on infectious diseases like HIV/AIDS, sexually transmitted diseases, reproductive tract infection and diarrhea. The CDs would be distributed to 300 odd village community centres identified in Tamil Nadu. These centres have computers supplied by the Tamil Nadu Government, and the CDs would be shown to villagers with the assistance of trained healthcare professionals of NGOs in the field, informed sources.

The British Council would fund about 10,000 pounds for the first year, besides the other expenses for the project.

According to S.P.Thyagarajan, vice-chancellor of Madras University, the cartoon based health awareness CDs would supplement efforts in creating awareness against infectious diseases. In the first phase, the programme would be implemented in the villages of Chengalpet, Kancheepuram and north Arcot districts, termed as 'control districts' under the project, within a period of six months to one year.

The university has roped in services of volunteers from YRG Centre for AIDS Research and Foundation to ensure CD modules reach the select community centres and are used to optimum levels for educating the villagers. After the initial phase, volunteers would evaluate the awareness level created by the campaign by personally visiting individual households. If concluded effective and successful, efforts would be on to spread the scheme to entire villages in Tamil Nadu with the help of the state government, said vice chancellor.

He said the university was planning a second module of CDs to educate primary health care workers in the state. In this, an advanced CD package on Hepatitis, with details on viruses, method of prevention and testing methods etc., would be given to workers having a diploma in their respective fields, said S.P.Thyagarajan.