The Centre for Development and Population Activities (CEDPA), has organised a two-day workshop at Denu for queenmothers in the Ketu District on Care and Support for People Living with HIV/AIDS.

It had the theme "To Demystify AIDS and Remove the Stigma", and was attended by paramount chiefs in the district as well as peer educators of the Young Men Christian Association (YMCA).

Participants were engaged in activities such as panel discussions, talks, demonstrations and film shows.

Addressing them, the Ketu District Chief Executive (DCE) , Mr. Linus Koffie, re-echoed the clarion call by government to "bring on board every stakeholder towards the fight against the HIV/AIDS pandemic."

He said the Ketu District Assembly has, through the District Initiative Committee on HIV/AIDS and the District Health Management Team, carried out a number of education programmes on the disease throughout the district.

Koffie lauded the organisers "for targeting our Queenmothers whose intervention would go a long way to move the crusade against the disease forward, since women and children are more vulnerable".

The DCE called on participants to go back and use the knowledge acquired to advise on HIV/AIDS issues that may confront them in their localities.

The president of the Ketu District Queemothers Council, Mama Ayaba II, expressed grave concern about the frightening rate of infection and cautioned that if the situation is not checked, "a time will come when we shall not have people to bear our staff".

A regional HIV counsellor of the Ghana Health Service, Madam Cate Gabienu, warned that Ghanaians will be doing themselves more harm if they take the AIDS message for granted.

She called for love and more concern for people living with the disease instead of isolating them.