It’s like this at each stop: a dense crowd has gathered to visit the Red Ribbon Express, a train entirely dedicated to the prevention of AIDS. Inside the wagons, posters and videos explain in a direct and simple way how the HIV virus is transmitted.

The aim is to reach a wide public, especially illiterate people and those who know little about this disease. The Red Ribbon Express program was launched a year ago by the government. The train travels all over the country escorted by two buses and a caravan.

This prevention program goes hand in hand with the Indian government’s initiative to give free access to tritherapy medication. Just like 130,000 other patients in the country, Shandro benefits from this program. When he discovered he had AIDS two years ago, he weighed only 22 kilos. Thanks to anti-viral drugs his health stopped deteriorating and he has regained some weight.

In the past four years, the number of centres for AIDS patients has increased six-fold. The development of generic medication has cut the price of the treatment by half. That is a touch of hope in a country where an estimated 10 million people are infected by the HIV virus.