Ekumfi Asaafa (C/R), Aug. 14, GNA - The Mfantseman District HIV/AIDS Co-ordinator and Counsellor, Miss Christine Antor has appealed to traditional authorities and members of Unit Committees to get involved in the fight against HIV/AIDS to arrest the alarming rate of its spread in the district.

Every Ghanaian has a role to play in saving the country from this deadly disease, Miss Antor, who is also a Principal Community Health Nurse stated.

She said in 2001 out of 91 suspected cased examined at health care institutions in the district 50 made up of 28 females and 22 males tested positive.

Miss Antor made the revelation at the opening ceremony of a four-day Peer Educator training workshop for 35 boys and girls at Ekumfi Asaafo in the Central Region.

She said in 2002, 65, made up of 42 females and 23 males out of 97 suspected cases tested positive while 12 persons made up of eight females and four males had the HIV out of 21 suspected cases from January to March this year.

The majority of the cases came from the coastal communities, she said.

Charity Brotherhood Youth Organisation (CBYO) a Mankessim based non-government organisation (NGO) held the workshop with funds provided by Ghana AIDS Commission.

She commended the NGO for targeting the youth in the fight against the disease and urged the participants to do away with shyness in the discharge of their assignment.

Mr Okanfo Davies, Executive Director of CBYO appealed to Ghanaians to abstain from sexual promiscuity to make the investment the government and donor agencies were making to curb the spread of the disease worthwhile.

Mr Jonathan Benefo, Mfantseman District HIV/AIDS Monitoring and Evaluation Focal Person, whose speech was read for him, reminded rural dwellers not to regard HIV/AIDS as a disease for the cities, urban centres and persons who had travelled outside the country alone. He said it was prevailing in every community and cautioned every citizen to take the necessary precaution to prevent infection. Nana Anuobil III, Chief of Asaafo and Benkumhene of the Ekumfi Traditional Area who chaired the function advised the participants to take the training seriously to enable them to convey the right messages to the people. 14 Aug. 03