Ghana to organise HIV/AIDS fair
The Ghana AIDS Commission (GAC) will organise HIV and AIDS fair as part of activities to commemorate its tenth anniversary celebration in Accra, this month.
A statement issued in Accra on Monday by Director General of GAC, Dr Angela El Adas, said: “The aim of the fair among others is to help increase awareness of HIV and AIDS in the country”.
Since its establishment in February 2002, the Commission has been working with multiple and diverse stakeholders and partners, towards universal access and the attainment of the health-related Millennium Development Goals- MDG 4, 5 and 6 and it is currently implementing the third five-year National HIV Strategic Plan (NSP 2011-2015).
The statement noted that the fair, scheduled from February 21 to 24, would coincide with the visit to Ghana by the Executive Director of UNAIDS, Mr Michel Sidibe.
Dr EI-Adas said the theme for the fair “A decade of active partnerships towards elimination of HIV: Optimising a sustainable response”, reflected activities of the Commission.
“We have through effective coordination, fund mobilisation, policy development, management and strategic partnerships, relatively stabilised the HIV epidemic and today, Persons Living With The Virus have remarkable improvement in their health status and standard of living,” she noted.
The statement said: the current adult HIV prevalence among the general population has stabilised at 1.5 per cent and the Vice President John Dramani Mahama, who has been chairing activities of the Commission would officially open the fair on February 21.
Other activities planned for the celebrations include a Youth Forum, Strategic Business meeting with Partners, athletics with stakeholders and implementers and other activities that will culminate into the commemoration of World AIDS Day at the Regional and National levels in December.
The Commission is a supra-ministerial and multi-sectoral body established by Act 613, of Parliament and its mandate is to provide support, guidance and leadership for the national response to the HIV and AIDS epidemic.
Source: GNA