Kumasi, Feb. 6, GNA - Mrs Belinda Serwaa Addo, Ashanti Regional Director of Education, has said that HIV/AIDS has contributed to increased mortality in almost all age groups of the Ghanaian population and that the impact was most severe among the ages between 15 and 49. She noted that since that was the most economically productive group of the population, illnesses and deaths affecting it constituted an important economic burden on the country since it could not afford to lose many of its investments to HIV/AIDS.

Mrs Addo was speaking at the opening of a four-day training of trainers' workshop for 146 district training teams organised by the HIV/AIDS Secretariat of the Ministry of Education, Science and Sports in Kumasi on Tuesday.

The workshop being attended by participants from 24 districts in the Brong-Ahafo, Volta and Western regions is on the theme: 93Teachers =96 Agents of Dissemination and Change Programme". She emphasised that the protection against children between 5 and 14 years often referred to as 93window of hope" from HIV infection before they become sexually active and practice abstinence to help free them from HIV.

Mrs Addo observed that the pandemic had also affected the education of the human resource base because of the loss through mortality of trained teachers.

Additionally, those who would patronise education would be negatively affected as a result of increase in the number of orphans. Mrs Addo explained that funds meant for development would then be diverted to the care and support of People Living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHAs).

She urged the participants to intensify their education to their colleagues in the districts to help reduce the current prevalence rate of 2.7 per cent.

Mr Badu Fordjour Anyan, Principal of the Kumasi Wesley College, in a welcoming address, appealed to the participants to take the workshop very seriously to equip them with skills and knowledge to help minimise the spread of the disease in the districts.