Adopt prevention strategies to change people's behaviours

Kumasi, Dec 12, GNA - Mr Michael Boamey, the Ashanti Regional co-ordinator and National Trainer of HIV/AIDS/STD's, on Saturday called on animators and counsellors in the fight against HIV/AIDS to adopt prevention strategies that could change people's behaviour and attitude towards the disease.

He also called for support for People Living With HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) and appealed to the public, especially pregnant women, to go for the voluntary Counselling and Testing (VCT).

Mr Boamey was speaking at the third group graduation ceremony of the three-month distance education course for 59 community-based animators, counsellors and caregivers in Kumasi.

The distance-training course organized jointly by the Institute of Adult Education, University of Ghana and the United Nations Fund for Population Activities (UNFPA) that started last year has trained over 1,000 people.

"The present prevalence rate of 3.6 per cent and 76,005 cumulative AIDS cases as at the end of 2003 in the country showed increases over the previous years", he said.