Nandom (Upper West) - A total of 1,001 HIV/AIDS cases were recorded in the Upper West Region between 1995 and October 2002, a health official has said.

Out of the number 551 were recorded in the Lawra District, making it the leading in the region. Mrs Cecilia Tuo, Public Health Nurse at the Nandom Hospital, said this during the Lawra District launch of road safety campaign at Nandom on Sunday.

The occasion, which attracted drivers, vehicle owners, Security Agencies, Insurance Company representatives and the public, was organised by the Upper West Regional Road Safety Committee.

Mrs Tuo attributed the high rate of HIV/AIDS in the District the area sharing borders with Cote d'Ivoire and Burkina Faso. She said although Wa was one of the leading in the country with 6 per cent, Jirapa was the least in the region with 1.6 per cent.

Mrs Tuo called on the Road Safety Committee, to take HIV/AIDS education side by its campaign against road accidents. Mr Seth T. Tetteh, Upper West Regional Police Commander, said although a lot of education programmes were going on, accident cases, were rising daily.

He blamed accidents on drunkenness and the use of drugs as stimulants and called on drivers to desist from such practices. Mr Tetteh wondered why Upper West should record over one hundred accidents when the vehicle population in the region was so low compared to the other regions.

"I believe that if our drivers become a little bit careful with their driving the number of accidents in the region will reduce drastically,'' he said.