Zuo(NR), Dec. 02, GNA - Ms Theresa Asabadig, a 35-year-old lady living with HIV/AIDS on National Farmers' day moved the crowd including Mr Mohammed Amin Adam, Tamale Metropolitan Chief Executive to tears when she narrated how she contracted the disease.

Ms Asabadig from Chuchiliga in the Kassena-Nankani District voluntarily told her sorrowful tale to the crowd at this year's World HIV/AIDS Day, which was jointly celebrated with the National Farmers' Day at Zuo, a farming community in the Tamale Metropolis. Tamale Office of ActionAid Ghana, sponsored the World HIV/AIDS Day celebration and Social Centre for People's Empowerment (SCOPE) and Ghana HIV/AIDS Network (GHANET) organised the programme, which also involved community rallies and radio discussions to help raise awareness on the dangers associated with the disease.

Ms Asabadig said she was forced into marriage when she was 15 years to an old man and had to take care of herself since she was the third wife and the man was not working.

She said not long after the marriage, her husband died and left the only child she had with him under her care to fully take care of and had to sell firewood to generate some money and ventured into small-scale business that took her to Kumasi.

Ms Asabadig said it was during some of her business trips to Kumasi that she contracted the disease about seven years ago since she slept with multiple men and did not know until she came to the Tamale Regional Hospital where she was tested positive.

Her tale moved the crowd and brought the people to their feet and voluntarily contributed money for her upkeep while she pleaded with the rest of the public not to shun the company of people living with the disease.

Mr Abdul Karim Ibrahim Afazie, Northern Regional Coordinator of Ghana HIV/AIDS Network (GHANET) advised the people to constantly remind themselves about the dangers of the pandemic and live responsible sexual lives.

He said the pandemic continued to kill many people but there was poor attitudinal change and called on the public to see the plight of people living with the disease to stop engaging in unprotected sex. Mr Mohammed Amin Adam, Tamale Metropolitan Chief Executive commended Ms Asabadig for her bold initiative to present herself to the public and said Government was committed to subsidize anti-retroviral drugs to people living with the disease.

He said the rate of HIV/AIDS spread in the region had reduced from 2.7 per cent in 2004 to 2.0 per cent in 2005 and appealed to the people to live responsible sexual lives in order not to increase the rate of spread.

Mr Adam advised the people not to shun people living with the disease but should endeavour to assist them with every available means to keep them in society.

He later donated some money to Ms Asabadig for her upkeep and gave the assurance that the assembly would institute measures to integrate those living with the disease into the society to live harmoniously. 02 Dec. 06