Balloons launched on World AIDS Day in Shillong on Wednesday. Telegraph picture

Shillong, Dec. 1: Hold on when you feel like you are falling/remember, we love you/look up, the sun still shining/so, hold on/we will walk along by your side/hold on...

This excerpt from a self-composed song was performed by Midnight Garden Factor, a rock band, here on World AIDS Day today as a gesture of support to those living with HIV/AIDS.

Giving a political touch to the fight against the global disease, the Meghalaya Legislators Forum on HIV/AIDS (MLFA) was also launched during a function held at U Soso Tham auditorium.

The forum was formed in October following a meeting of legislators convened by Speaker Charles Pyngrope. Each legislator will donate Rs 1 lakh from his/her MLA scheme to raise funds to create awareness programmes.

Meghalaya also has 22 Red Ribbon Clubs spread across various colleges which are generating awareness among the people about the disease.

As of date, Meghalaya has detected 344 HIV cases. Of these, 162 are women and 12 children. The secretary-general of the legislators’ forum, A. Das, who is also the project director of the Meghalaya AIDS Control Society (MACS), while giving a presentation on the HIV/AIDS scenario in the state, mentioned that though Meghalaya falls under “C” category — which means low prevalence of the disease — it is susceptible to the disease because of migration and presence of truckers, among other factors.

Speaking on the occasion, chief minister Mukul Sangma, who is also the chief patron of the legislators’ forum, stressed the need to identify people afflicted by the disease to contain its spread. Pyngrope said that legislators have to ensure that youths, women and the poor be aware of the disease.