Remain faithful to your partners to prevent AIDS – Dr Bampoh
People living with HIV and AIDS have been advised to remain faithful to their partners to prevent the spread of the disease.
Dr Patrick Bampoh, Northern Regional HIV/AIDS Coordinator, who gave the advice, said some people after testing and being confirmed positive rather callously move on to engage in promiscuity with the sole aim to infecting others thereby contributing to the spread of the disease.
Dr Bampoh said the issue of HIV/AIDS was no longer a health concern only but also an economic one as it had dire consequences on the country’s resources in terms of appropriations to fight it.
He was speaking at a ceremony marking this year’s Northern Regional Celebration of the World AIDS Day held at the Karaga L/A School in the Karaga District of the Region on Thursday.
It brought together chiefs and people as well as basic and second-cycle students in the District, some of whom were carrying placards with the inscription: “We Are All Vulnerable to HIV/AIDS”, “Respect People Living with HIV/AIDS” whiles others performed drama to mark the day.
World AIDS Day, marked globally on December one, every year, is a day set aside to highlight and create opportunity for people worldwide to unite in the fight against the pandemic..
This year’s celebration is on the theme: “Zero Infection, Zero Discrimination and Zero AIDS Related Deaths.”
Dr Bampoh said even though the Region was the least in terms of the prevalence rate of HIV/AIDS a lot needed to be done to reduce the infection rate.
He said: “The 2010 HIV prevalence rate for the Region was 0.7 per cent and 2.0 per cent nationally and this makes the Region the least in the whole of the country.”
He, therefore, encouraged all to submit to voluntary testing and counseling to know their status to inform their lifestyles.
Mr San Nasamu Asabigi, Deputy Northern Regional Minister, announced that the Ghana AIDS Commission in collaboration with key partners and stakeholders had developed a new National Strategic Plan on HIV/AIDS for 2011 to 2015 with the aim to direct the implementation of the National HIV and AIDS Response over the period.
Mr Asabigi said the first envisaged impact of the plan was to reduce new infections by 50 per cent by the year 2015.
He identified stigma and discrimination towards people living with the disease as the single most important threat to the global effort at winning the battle against the spread of the disease.
He, therefore, underscored the need for partners to work to stem the tide to enable the country win the battle against the disease.
Source: GNA