Avoid used blades and other sharp objects - Expert warns

Techiman (B/A), Feb. 17, GNA - Mr Daniel Gyan, Techiman disease control officer of the Ghana Health Service has advised parents to ensure that their children avoid used blades to help stem the spread of the HIV/AIDS pandemic.

In an interview with the Ghana News Agency, Mr Gyan said sharing of blade was a contributory factor for the spread of HIV/AIDS among children.

He therefore, advised barbers not to give used blades to cobblers and tailors but to effectively dispose of them, out of the reach of children.

He expressed dissatisfaction with the practice by some pastors who identified victims of the pandemic on radio stations and pulpits, saying the status of such persons should be kept between parents and doctors. Mr Gyan dismissed speculations by some people that that "HIV/AIDS is a spiritual disease" and compared the pandemic to "a hippopotamus in water whose ears are seen but the whole body remains under the water". Condom is not 100 percent safe, he said, and urged the public to stick to abstinence to avoid contracting the disease.

Mr Gyan said retroviral drug was not meant for the cure of victims, saying, it rather extends the life span of patients. He appealed to the public not only to sympathise with HIV/AIDS victims but also to show compassion for them to avoid their stigmatisation.