Apam (Central Region) -- The Gomoa District Assembly is to institute an annual award to honour 20 girls with proven virginity at the age of 19. In addition, 20 communities that practice puberty rites for girls at the same age would also be rewarded.

Madam Joyce Aidoo, District Chief Executive, who gave the hint in an interview with GNA, said these were some of measures put in place by the District Response Initiative (DRI) to help reduce the spread of the HIV/AIDS pandemic.

Commenting on the theme for this year's AIDS awareness week, "reducing stigmatisation and discrimination against people living with HIV/AIDS," she said stigmatisation and discrimination against people with the disease hindered preventive measures, voluntary testing and the provision of care and support for people living with HIV/AIDS.

Stigmatisation and discrimination are the major obstacles to effective HIV/AIDS prevention and care she said, adding that, they deter people with the disease from seeking treatment and acknowledging their HIV/AIDS status publicly.

Madam Aidoo called on the public to create an enabling environment for people with the disease to lead normal lives and to show them love. The DCE called for programmes that would involve more men in the fight against HIV/AIDS.

Eric Akobeng, District Budget Analyst and Monitoring Focal Person on HIV/AIDS, stated that from 1992 to 2001, the District recorded 447 cases at the Apam Catholic Hospital, adding that, 61 had been recorded this year.

He said prevalence rate of three per cent in the district could be reduced to one per cent by December 2005, through a medium term strategic plan put in place by the DRI. Akobeng said the HIV/AIDS pandemic was real and urged stakeholders to educate the people to prevent it through sex abstinence or the use of condoms.