Sunyani (B/A) July 21, GNA - The National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) is to get involved in the management of the spread of HIV/AIDS in the country before it becomes a disaster.

Mr. Kwasi Annang Frimpong, Sunyani Municipal Director of the Organization said the fast increasing rate of the spread of the pandemic, NADMO had realized that "HIV/AIDS is also a recipe for disaster".

"Hence the need for it not to concentrate solely on disasters resulting from rainstorms, fire, political disturbances and any other man-made causes that put human beings in uncomfortable positions", he said.

The NADMO Director was speaking at the opening of a day's HIV/AIDS workshop and photo exhibition for Assembly Members and opinion leaders organised by the Regional Secretariat of the Organisation.

About 50 participants including representatives of Hairdressers and Beauticians Association, Tailors and Dressmakers Association, Second-Cycle Institutions, Social Workers, the Media and the Association of Chartered Accountants attended. Mr. Frimpong expressed the hope that the participants would go back and be "Guidance and Counselling Officers" in their various Associations and to assist NADMO in its HIV/AIDS awareness creation educational programmes.

Nana Atta-Afena, Regional Director of NADMO, expressed the fear that the pandemic could become a man-made disaster in the country in five years time.

He said NADMO had started building a culture of disaster prevention and HIV/AIDS was part of its programmes, noting that, "if we had the political will at the time the pandemic was first reported in the country in 1986 and tackled it, the situation, perhaps, would not have got to the current level of infection."

He noted that the pandemic "is more of a developmental problem than a health one" and called on NGOs and other identifiable groups in the fight against the infection to judiciously use the funds provided for the purpose.

Mr. Richard Obeng Baah, Jaman South district Co-ordinator of NADMO, who is the Regional HIV/Focal Person for his organisation told newsmen that the workshop in Sunyani Municipality was a follow-up to three earlier ones held at Berekum, Dormaa and Techiman.

Nana Boah Boahemaa II, Gyantuahemaa of Sunyani Traditional Council presided at the function.