Dr Paulina Appiah, Sunyani Municipal Director of Health has appealed to adolescent girls to either abstain or insist on the use of condoms with their partners.

She said because of the high rate of immorality, many teenage girls in the municipality engaged in active but unprotected sex and this has contributed to the increase in the spreading of Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) among the girls.

Dr Appiah said this when addressing the closing session of a four-day training workshop for peer educators on behavioural change communication and prevention of HIV and AIDS, at Baakoniaba in the Sunyani Municipality.

Health Foundation of Ghana (HFG), a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) working to help reduce new HIV infection with support from the Ghana AIDS Commission (GAC) organised the workshop.

It was attended by 37 school peer educators from Asunafo South, Asunafo North, Asutifi South, Asutifi North, Tano South and Tano North District and Sunyani Municipality.

Dr Appiah said because of the high level of unprotected sex among the youth, HIV prevalence increased by 0.2 per cent in 2011, adding, early sexual maturity and lack of sexual knowledge were exposing girls to all kinds of STIs.

She said the municipality was fifth among 23 urban centres in the HIV prevalence rate and advised girls who could not abstain from sex to always use condoms for protection.

Dr Appiah expressed worry that unsafe abortion was equally alarming among girls in the municipality and entreated parents to draw their children closer to them and ensure that they were provided with the best advice.

Mr Samuel Tovor, Programme Manager of HFG, said it had organised similar workshop to 17 in-school youths from the beneficiary assemblies.