Nkoranza (B/A), Aug. 11, GNA - A two-day workshop has been held at Nkoranza in Brong Ahafo to educate 30 field workers of Community Based Organizations (CBOs) on their activities in the campaign to prevent HIV/AIDS among the youth.

The participants are expected to carry out massive educational programmes to inform the people about the causes and effects of the pandemic and to alert them to guard themselves against it. Mr Solomon Obeng-Danquah, District Monitoring and Evaluation HIV/AIDS focal person appealed to the people not to ignore and stigmatise

persons living with the disease as the practice demoralized the victims and made them feel dejected in life. He urged focal persons of the CBOs to visit churches, schools, durbar grounds and festivals to educate the people about the disease to create more awareness so they could change their sex behaviours. Everybody is at risk and the public should abide by advice given on how one can contract the disease, he said.

Mrs. Doris Mensah-Sarfo, a Public Health Nurse at Nkoranza cautioned people against the sharing of razors and tooth brushes since one could contract the pandemic through the practice. The best way one could prevent him/herself from contracting HIV/AIDS is either to abstain from sex or to use condom, she said.

Dr. Tolgou Yampabe Noel, a Medical Officer at Saint Theresa's Catholic Hospital at Nkoranza noted that HIV/AIDS was spreading fast in the district and advised people to be wary of their activities. He announced that between 2002 and 2003 about 212 people made up of 88 men and 124 women were recorded at the hospital as having contracted the pandemic.

Mr Adjei Yeboah, Presiding Member of Nkoranza District Assembly, commended the participants for offering themselves as volunteers to assist in promoting educational the campaign against the spread of HIV/AIDS.