Vice President Cautions Herbalists Over AIDS Cure

The Vice President, Alahji Aliu Mahama has cautioned traditional healers who claim to have the cure for HIV/AIDS to desist from such pronouncements as this serves to weaken the national effort at controlling the menace.

The Vice President however acknowledged that some herbal prepared medicines could improve the general health conditions of HIV/AIDS patients, but these fall short of performing curative functions. He appealed to the public to be vigilant and not be deceived by the claims and called for a collaborative, decisive and urgent attack on AIDS the "worst enemy of our time."

Alhaji Aliu Mahama made the call when he formally launched the "Journey of Hope" a newly initiated educative tool to stem the spread of the HIV/AIDS disease, through a behavioral change among the youth and other active groups, at the Accra International Conference Center in Accra yesterday. The programme is under the organisation of AIDS Commission in conjunction with other NGOs.

He also charged the media especially the radio stations to "work in collaboration with the Ghana AIDS Commission and the Ministry of Health for the right packaging of information for the public."

Owing to the fast rate at which the disease is spreading, the Vice President reiterated the concern and the commitment of the government to fight it. He lauded the organisers of "Journey of Hope" adding that their activities have the potential of changing the lives of many Ghanaians.

Dr. Richard Anane, Minister of Health disclosed that his Ministry is negotiating with the Ministry of Public Health of Thailand to manufacture anti retroviral drug, a drug that reduces mother-to-child transmission of the AIDS virus in the country.

He said the drug is currently being piloted and hopefully, it is expected to cover the whole country by the end of 2002.

In plans to facilitate Voluntary Counseling and Testing (VCT), Dr. Anane said training has been offered to 70 NGO representatives to augment the counselors in the public sector.

The Minister stated that about 25 million persons in Sub Saharan Africa are currently living with HIV/AIDS and remarked that whiles the Northern sector records the lowest prevalence rate, commercial sex workers in Accra-Tema and Kumasi metropolitan areas have 75.9 and 825 respectively. He added that the predominant mode of transmission in such areas is through heterosexual sex.