Accra, Nov. 6, GNA- Ms Bridget Karakul, Chief Director at the Ministry of Tourism and Diasporan Relations, on Monday urged Ghanaians to be open minded about HIV/AIDS and stop stigmatising people living with the disease.
She said HIV/AIDS could not be acquired only through sexual intercourse and urged the public to treat infected persons with respect and support rather than discriminating against them since the pandemic was not a respecter of persons.
Ms. Katriku gave the advice when she opened a sensitization forum on HIV/AIDS, organised by the Ministry for focal persons and peer educators in the tourism sector, in Accra. She cautioned that people must not take the existence of anti-retroviral drugs, which was being subsidised by government for granted, and engage in sexual promiscuity. He urged the youth to avoid pre-marital sex and adults to abstain from indiscrimate sex. Ms Katriku advised the peer educators to apply the knowledge acquired towards the reduction of HIV/AIDS prevalent rate in the country.
Mr Edward Owusu-Mensah, acting Director of the Ghana Tourist Board, said the pandemic had become a major source of worry to government and the national goal was to keep the prevalent rate under five per cent, especially in potential tourism areas. Mr Owusu-Mensah called for closer links between the ministry and the board to promote the project. Mr Eric Pwadura, Communication Officer of the Ghana AIDS Commission about 300000 people was living with the disease in 2006. He noted that cross border activities also accounted for the rise of the pandemic and called for participatory approach to curb the pandemic.
Mr Pwadura said prevention of new infections and behaviour change had become a basic tool in fighting the disease and lauded the efforts by institutions and NGOs in that regards. The ministry had received the first tranche of 90 million cedis from the Ghana AIDS Commission to kick-start the project, which would be replicated in other parts of the country. 5 Nov.07
