Kenyasi Number Two (B/A), Dec. 1, GNA - Mr. Eric Addae, Asutifi District Chief Executive on Tuesday asked churches and prayer camps to desist from linking the theology of sin to HIV infection. He explained that HIV/AIDS was currently a manageable disease like h= igh blood pressure, tuberculosis and hepatitis B stressing "HIV/AIDS does not=

kill but what kills is the stigma and discrimination".

Addressing a durbar of chiefs and people of Kenyasi Number Two in th= e district to commemorate the World AIDS day, Mr. Addae condemned the negat= ive judgmental attitudes of a section of the general public to the deadly disease. The durbar was organised by the Ahafo mine of the Newmont Ghana Gold=

Limited (NGGL). Mr. Addae noted HIV/AIDS related stigmatization and discrimination m= ade the prevention of the disease difficult and appealed to the general publi= c to refrain from such attitude. "This is because the current climate appears hostile to people livin= g with HIV/AIDS and discourage others from getting tested and often necessitates secrecy among those who have tested positive", he stressed. The District Chief Executive observed that in-spite of the fact tha= t more than 90 percent of Ghanaians were aware of the existence of HIV/AIDS= , not many people were willing to change their behaviour.

"Many people continue to throw caution to the wind with the excuse t= hat whether AIDS or no AIDS we will die", Mr. Addae added. Mrs. Margaret Osei-Anim, District Public Health Nurse, disclosed tha= t from January to October, this year out of the 806 blood donors tested, 47=

were positive with prevalence rate of 5.8 per cent. She mentioned population increase as a result of the Ahafo mine, discrimination and stigmatization as well as unsafe sexual behaviour as s= ome of the contributory factors to the spread of the disease in the district. Mrs. Osei-Anim said nationally a number of new infected adults increased from 21,310 in 2007 to 21,619 in 2008 with females dominating. She appealed to the general public to check their HIV status to help=

them plan for their future.

This, she added, knowing their status would also enable individuals to plan for their future, prevent future spread of the disease and help the government to plan as well as access the anti-retroviral drug. Mr. Kojo Bedu-Addo, External Affairs Manager of the Ahafo mine, disclosed that the NGGL community programme had spent 108,000 dollars thi= s year on sensitization programmes throughout the "mine-take communities". The package included refresher trainings for community based-volunteers, bed net distribution for malaria prevention to both sta= ff and community members and on-going health promotions for volunteers. Mr. Bedu-Addo reiterated the need for all and sundry to check their HIV status and also join in the fight to remove the stigma and discrimination=

associated with it to control the spread of the disease.