Zebilla (U/E), Aug. 26, GNA - The Bawku West District in the Upper East Region is almost hitting the five per cent HIV/AIDS prevalence rate with the district hospital recording 21 cases as at June this year. The District Director of Medical Services, Dr Jonathan Adda made this known when he briefed the second ordinary session of the assembly at Zebilla on the situation of the HIV/AIDS prevalence rate in the district.

He said there were 24 reported cases in 2001, while in 2002 the district recorded 19 cases.

Dr Adda said these figures were a tip of the iceberg because the district is rural and most cases were not reported at the hospital. He urged assembly members to liase up with community base organisation approved by the Ghana AIDS Commission to fight the spread of the disease within the communities.

The District Chief Executive, Mr Moses Abaare Appiah said the Ghana AIDS Response (GAR) Fund has released 145 million cedis to the district to fund variety of activities on HIV/AIDS programmes. He said the fund was released based on the District Assembly, NGOs and Community Based Organisations (CBOs).

The DCE said it is the ardent hope of the government to check the spread of the pandemic to give hope to the nation.

Mr Appiah urged all and sundry to act as good will ambassadors to preach the gospel on the prevention of the disease and rehabilitation of people living with AIDS.