Muhammadiyah Medical Student Activities Universitas Muhammadiyah Yogyakarta (MMSA UMY) returned to break MURI record. It was creating the biggest red ribbon of HIV/AIDS. The AIDS ribbon measured 3×5 meters was made from a combination of 11.214 ribbons. It was coined to celebrate world AIDS day on the 1st of December.
The chief, M. Prakasa Wicaksono, stated that the ten thousand ribbons were arranged by academicians of UMY coming to the location of the ribbon making. It was as a campaign of HIV/AIDS perils toward community particularly UMY’s academicians. The number of ribbons was meant to be special as the date of world AIDS day of this year. However, the certificate of record breaking would be officially awarded by MURI on the 26th of December coinciding with the anniversary of MMSA UMY. “The number of small ribbons is 11.214 since AIDS day is the 11th of December 2014,” told Wicaksono in the breaking record area, the lobby of Faculty of Medicine and Health Studies on Friday (28/11).
Wicaksono explained that, besides setting up ribbons, students around the HIV/AIDS ribbon location obtained explanation regarding spreading of one of the deadly diseases in this world. He argued that a lot of negative stigmas toward HIV/AIDS sufferers because of erroneous information spread in the society such as being afraid of getting closer to HIV/AIDS sufferers.
In fact, HIV/AIDS itself, Wicaksono continued, would not infect through having physical contact, touching or hugging, so that it was very essential to provide the precise information for the society. It aimed at enhancing their awareness of caring about the sufferers.
“It is also with the purpose of omitting wrong perception of society such as being reluctant to get closer to the sufferers, to hug, and to shake hands. AIDS is not transmitted through touching and hugging, indeed. Swallowing a sufferer’s saliva has not been adequate to infect us,” added the medical student of UMY year 2012.
Wicaksono uttered that the society did not need to be afraid of having interaction with HIV/AIDS sufferers in daily life. Nevertheless, they were cautioned to never carry out any activities which could transmit the disease like bad lifestyle by having free sex. He thought that the resuscitation was very vital since HIV/AIDS sufferers in Java had been calculated at twelve thousands.
He conveyed that this event was an evidence of responsibility as medical students to raise community awareness of the importance of good lifestyle in order that they did not get the risks of being infected by HIV/AIDS. “It does not matter to have interaction with them. This also points at promoting healthy lifestyle and association. We have not cured diseases yet since we are students still. Therefore, what we could do right now is just raising awareness.”
In these two recent years, MMSA UMY has smashed MURI record twice. In August 2013 the medical students was on the record of promoting autism through arranging an autism ribbon-drawing cube from 22.000 puzzles.
