One of every ten deaths at Holy Family Hospital attributed to HIV/AIDS

Techiman (BA), July 9, GNA - HIV/AIDS is responsible for one out of every 10 deaths at the Holy Family Hospital at Techiman, Dr Gladstone Kesse, Techiman District Director of Health Services has said. He was briefing Assembly members and Heads of Department at the second ordinary meeting of the second session of the Techiman District Assembly on Monday.

In a break down, he said the hospital recorded 238 HIV/AIDS cases in 2001, with 139 being females and 89 males, whilst 148 cases were reported last year, 89 of them females and 59 males.

Dr. Kesse said out of the total of 2,429 blood donors screened at the hospital in 2002, 127 were found to be HIV/AIDS positive as against 130 out of 2,289 screened in 2001, with the prevalence rate hitting the 5.2 per cent mark.

More cases were reported at the hospital than before, he said and attributed the trend to the voluntary behaviour of people to come out with their HIV/AIDS status.

He said this was a positive result of a recent intensive campaign in the district urging people to show compassion on HIV/AIDS victims. Dr. Kesse expressed regret about the fast spread of the pandemic in the district, "especially in the smaller communities where people still have the belief that such deaths are caused by curses."

Mr Agyeman Badu, Techiman District Focal Person on HIV//AIDS, said in a bid to control the spread of HIV/AIDS in the district, the District Assembly had in the past two years encouraged organizations to join in the campaign against it.

He said Tuobodom, Krobo, Akrofrom, Mesidan, Buoyem, Forikrom and Tanoboase were among towns and communities where the pandemic was prevalent and was endemic in Techiman, Dwomor, Zongo, Abanim and Kenten.