Invest in the fight against HIV/AIDS – African leaders urged

Mr Eric Akobeng, Gomoa West District Monitoring and Evaluation Focal Person, has appealed to African leaders to invest in production of HIV/AIDS vaccines.

He said the virus was spreading in Africa because its leaders were not making much effort to prevent it.

Mr Akobeng said this at a workshop for stakeholders in the Gomoa East District at Afransi to offer them the opportunity to make inputs into the District Strategic Plan for 2008-2012.

Mr Akobeng, who is also District Budget Analyst, said there were different types of viruses in some parts of the world.

He said that made it dangerous for Africans to rely on researches and vaccines produced in European, Asian or American countries since their virus could be different from the types pertaining in Africa.

Mr Akobeng expressed concern about the situation where care and support for people living with the virus was receiving more attention than preventive measures.

He said though people living with the virus needed care and support that must not be done at the expense of taking measures to prevent contracting the virus.

Mr Mc Jewels Anna, District Chief Executive, said HIV/AIDS was no longer only health problem but also a socio-economic and religious problem that which needed multi-sector approach in fighting it.

He assured the District AIDS Committee of the assembly's support in fighting the pandemic and pledged to release promptly the share of the Assembly Common Fund that goes went into HIV/AIDS education.