THE Myanmar Medical Association (MMA) will hold HIV/AIDS education fairs in Bago and Yangon next month to teach young people about the disease in interesting ways, said Dr Ne Win, the secretary of the association’s General Practitioners’ Society.

He said the fairs, which will be organised in collaboration with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), will be held at Bago Stadium on December 8 and 9 and at the association’s headquarters on Theinbyu Road in Yangon on December 15 and 16.

He said the Bago event will use slideshows, reading corners and exhibits to provide information about HIV/AIDS prevention and control activities run by the MMA and UNFPA.

He said exhibitions will also be put up by the National AIDS Program under the Department of Health and some non-government organisations like Marie Stopes International.

Dr Ne Win said the association will open counselling rooms where young people can have confidential discussions with doctors about the disease.

“We will also organise a three-level contest where young people can test their knowledge about HIV/AIDS by answering questions. Those who get 80 percent of the questions correct will advance to the next level where the questions become harder,” he said.

The Bago fair will also include a donation corner, games and food stalls, he said, adding that all money raised will be donated to people in need.

He said the Yangon fair planned for the following weekend will have a slightly different schedule of events.

“We are still planning the schedules,” he said.

Dr Ne Win said young people in rural areas have now been educated about behaviours that put them at risk of contracting HIV/AIDS because many organisations were conducting health education programs.

“But it takes time for them to actually change their behaviour to put this knowledge into practice,” he said.