Ekumfi Essarkyir (C/R), Feb. 25, GNA - Mr Paul K. Djan, Central Regional Population Officer, has urged civil servants to play a frontline role in the fight against the spread of the HIV/AIDS pandemic in line with their role as implementers of government policies. He was addressing a workshop on HIV/AIDS for civil servants in Ekumfi Traditional Area organised by the Mfantseman District AIDS Committee.

Mr Djan admonished them to lead morally upright lives to put them in a good stead to spearhead the campaign against the spread of the disease.

He expressed disappointment about the lifestyles of some persons who profess to be engaged in educating the public on the dangers of HIV/AIDS and cautioned peer educators to be role models in their communities.

Mr Djan also urged traditional rulers to modernise and re-introduce the virtually abandoned traditional puberty rites for girls as a way of stemming teenage pregnancies and discouraging children from leading promiscuous lives.

Miss Christine Antor, Principal Nursing Officer and Mfantseman District HIV/AIDS co-ordinator urged the people to treat their relatives living with HIV/AIDS with care and compassion to help them to live longer.

Mr Reemans Osei Bonsu, District Schools Health Education Programme Officer, urged the youth to abstain from premarital sex to avoid contracting the disease.