Ho, Sept. 24, GNA - Pharmacies that made huge condom sales during last year's "Yam Festival" of the chiefs and people of Ho Asogli Traditional Area and have stocked up the product for this year's celebration are getting disappointed as the festival reaches its peak. The festival will climax on September 26 with a grand durbar but pharmacies and chemical shops are reporting low condom sales. Two attendants at Edem Chemical Shop at Reverend Trost Road, Ho-Ahoe, and Hem Pharmacy who want to remain anonymous said they had large stocks of condoms for the festival but were disappointed at the low patronage.

Mr Francis Okata of Hill Pharmacy said sales were even lower than ordinary days and some attributed the low patronage to religious bodies' campaign against sex during the festival.

The Evangelical Presbyterian Development and Relief Agency (EPDRA) of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church organized a health seminar ahead of this year's festival at which the youth were advised to abstain from sex or use condom if they could not abstain during the festivity. Mrs Lydia Adajawah, Presbyter Executive of the General Assembly of the Church, urged the people to celebrate the festival with caution and in moderation.

"Many of you associate festivals with sex and alcohol and say 'AIDS or no AIDS we will have sex.' But you must know that unprotected sex is a high risk and need to be conscious of life," Mrs Adajawah said. She urged parents to be vigilant on their children during the celebration and educate them that festivals were not about sex and drink.

Mr Bright Kornu, Volta Regional HIV/AIDS Focal Person, said while it is true that such festivities were characterised by sexual excesses, he was not in the position to link condom sales to such activities in Ho.

He said HIV/AIDS prevalence in Ho is 1.6 per cent and reiterated the call on the sexually active especially young people to abstain from sex or use condoms if they could not do so.

Mr Kornu said his outfit was supporting the Rotaract Club of Ho-Poly to acquire and distribute condoms free at the grand durbar of the Yam Festival on Saturday and expressed the hope that the target group would take advantage of the initiative to protect themselves against HIV and other sexually transmitted disease while they celebrate.