Spiritual, Traditional leaders sensitise on HIV/Aids pandemic

Accra, May 28, GNA - A day's seminar for spiritual, traditional and opinion leaders on HIV/AIDS Pandemic was organised on Saturday at the Central Auditorium of The Divine Healers Church, Korle Gonno. The seminar organised by the Church and an NGO, Strategy Against the Second Goliath (SASGO) is aimed at sensitising the group on Anti HIV/AIDS campaign in the country.

The Divine Healer's Church, Modern Ghana Company Limited and the MP for Ablekuma South, Mrs Theresa Tagoe are sponsors of the seminar. The Rev. Richard Commodore, representative from the Ghana AIDS Commission appealed to Ghanaians to take the education on HIV/AIDS seriously to save the Government and donor countries from spending huge sums of monies on education about the pandemic.

He urged all families not to shun affected relations but rather show love and passion as a morale booster to enable them to live longer and happier lives.

He said about 90 percent of the affected HIV/AIDS patients are the people who are actively involved in casual sex and sometimes contract it through blood transfusion.

Rev. Commodore advised Ghanaians to discard the notion that mosquito bites can also transmit the virus and cautioned the youth on the dangers of the disease and urged them to abstain from casual, pre-marital sex and immoral practices. The Reverend Apostle Amaziah Aflah Armah, who chaired the function, said research has shown that the youth who are sexually active are more venerable to AIDS than the older people.

He urged the youth to abstain from sexual activities until they found their rightful partners.

"We need you to build the country, for you are strong and it would be disastrous for the country if you allow yourselves to be wiped out from the planet," he said. He also called on married couples to abstain from extra marital sex.

Rev. Armah said, "the Government is doing its bit, donor agencies are also trying hard and schools and colleges are organising activities to fight the AIDS pandemic, it is now the turn of the religious bodies to add more activities to the already existing ones to fight AIDS." He therefore appealed to all church leaders, the Muslim communities and benevolent organisations to assist by putting in more resources to help halt this dreadful pandemic.

Madam Julian Kwapong, who claimed to be an AIDS patient, advised Ghanaians, especially the youth to be weary of the pandemic as HIV/AIDS is no respecter of anyone, weather rich or poor.