Aged women infected with AIDS through attending to their daughters

Mampong (Ash), Sept. 17, GNA - Research has revealed that some women above the age of 60 have been infected with HIV/AIDS through the washing of the clothes of their infected daughters who delivered. Miss Perpetual Gyenfi, Project Director of Women and Youth Development Network (WYDN), a non-governmental organisation, disclosed this at Asante-Mampong.

Speaking at the inauguration of the Mampong, Nsuta, Beposo and Mprim centres of the Network at separate functions, she therefore, asked women who take care of their daughters when they deliver to be very careful in the handling of their clothes, especially those that contain blood since they do not know the HIV/AIDS status of their daughters.

Miss Gyenfi asked women to protect themselves properly by wearing hand gloves if possible in handling clothes of their daughters who had just given birth.

Miss Mary Opoku Ansong, Executive Director of WYDN, who inaugurated the centres, said the inauguration of the four centres brought to 10 the number of centres established in the district. She named the other centres as situated at Apaah, Benim, Kofiase, Asaam, Nwadan and Kwamang, while five focus clubs had also been formed at Saint Monica's Secondary School and Saint Monica's Training College, Nsutaman Secondary School, Saint Joseph's Seminary and Amaniampong Secondary School.

Miss Ashong said it cost about 45.5 million cedis with assistance from the Ghana AIDS Commission (GAC) to establish the centres. She said 20 counsellors, two from each of the 10 centres had been trained to offer counselling in health, education, HIV/AIDS and in other social areas in the communities.

Miss Ashong expressed satisfaction with the high patronage of the centres and that about 163 people with varied ages had, between July and August this year visited the centres.

This feat, she said, was achieved through the confidentiality that had characterised the activities of the centres and hoped the trend will continue.