UG lodges complaint against Daily Guide

The authorities of the University of Ghana, Legon, have lodged a complaint with the National Media Commission (NMC) against the Daily Guide, an Accra private newspaper, for falsely alleging that 2,040 students of the university are infected with HIV/AIDS.

The paper said out of the 12,000 students, 2,040 tested positive to the disease in a survey conducted in tertiary institutions in the country.

In a letter to the NMC, the university authorities said the false story made a very serious imputation on the university's image, which had very woeful international implications as well.

When contacted by the Graphic, the Vice-Chancellor of the university, Prof Ivan Addae-Mensah, said considering the damage caused by the Daily Guide story, the university has decided not to let the matter rest until the false impressions projected by the newspaper are corrected.

He said the university is demanding a retraction of the story and an apology from the paper.

According to the Vice-Chancellor, there has never been any study conducted by anyone or a group in which samples of students' blood were taken and tested for HIV/AIDS, as claimed by the newspaper.

He said no such study can take place on the campus without the approval of the research and ethical committee of the Noguchi Memorial Institute of Medical Research of the university.

Prof Addae-Mensah said between 1999 and 2001, the Legon Hospital recorded only 15 cases of HIV/AIDS, "but you cannot tell whether they were cases of students because the hospital's catchment area is very wide and even extends outside Accra".

He said the University of Ghana is one of the safest and healthiest institutions of higher learning in Africa.