Kadjebi, Jan. 22, GNA - Mr Seth Alifui, Kadjebi District Chief Executive, on Wednesday said HIV/AIDS stigma and discrimination remained a crucial challenge that undermines the control of the disease nationally and globally.

He expressed concern that in the face of multiplicity of digitized media and communication outlets, stigma and discrimination on HIV patients continued to prevail. He blamed stakeholders for not doing enough by way of providing adequate tools and information to educate the populace, in an era of technological advancement. Mr Alifui said this at a one-day sensitization workshop on fighting HIV/AIDS stigma and discrimination in the Kadjebi district. It was organised by Afriweb Foundation, a Ho-based development-oriented Non-Governmental Organisation for members of the Kadjebi Assembly as well as Unit, Town and Area Councils (UTAs).

Mr Alifui said the disease had become a universal developmental challenge that needed to be fought through well-coordinated and multi-purpose approaches to stem it.

He said the devastating effects of the HIV pandemic "knows no geographical, political, religious or social boundaries", and urged members of the public to live morally upright lifestyles. Mr Alifui said gender inequalities, economic dependence, low social status and bad sexual lifestyles had made girls between 15-19 years more vulnerable and more likely to contract HIV than boys of the same age group. Mr Victor Ntumi-Attah, Executive Director of Afriweb Foundation, observed that stigmatization and discrimination was impacting negatively on productivity as patients on anti-retroviral treatment at the work place were being targeted. He called on parents and guardians to mainstream education of their children on reproductive health issues at a tender age, saying the "window of hope of between zero and 15 years was closing up. Mr Peter Dzabri, Kadjebi District Focal person for HIV/AIDS, said 59 people tested positive out of 1,527 patients screened for the virus in 2009, at the Mary Teresa's Catholic hospital at Dodi-Papase. He indicated however that the statistics was not a reflection of case incidence in the district, as majority of the inhabitants access health facilities in other adjoining districts. 22. 01. 10