Professor Sekyi Awuku Amoah, Director General of Ghana AIDS Commission on Wednesday said if steps are not taken to intensify HIV/AIDS campaign to reduce the prevalence rate, the country would suffer serious consequences.
This, he said was because, the youth, who would provide the manpower needs of the nation were seriously being affected.
Prof. Awuku Amoah was speaking at the inaugural ceremony of the board of trustees of the United Prayer Network Rehabilitation Centre (UPNRC) a Non- Governmental Organization (NGO) in Accra.
The aim of the centre is to echo, among the youth the need to practise total abstinence of engaging in premarital sex to enable them lead productive lives.
He said the complex challenge of moral decadence facing the youth had resulted in majority of them being at the mercy of HIV/AIDS.
Prof.Awuku Amoah noted the AIDS prevalent rate had risen to 59 per cent representing 3.8 per cent.
He said a recent report indicates that, of the 15,000 newly AIDS infestations recorded daily worldwide, the youth forms majority of the most vulnerable group.
Prof. Awuku Amoah said in spite of the alarming rate of the spread of AIDS, Ghanaians still behave like ostrich acting as all was well.
He expressed dissatisfaction about the churches position in criticizing the AIDS campaign message that calls for the use of condom.
Prof. Awuku Amoah said, as much as abstinence should be encouraged massively it imperative to include the use condom since most of the youth are sexually active.
He noted that the youth have great potential of advocacy, therefore there was the need to empower them with peer education tools to transfer the message to their colleagues.
Prof.Awuku Amoah urged parents to engage their wards in frank talk about acts that could pre- dispose them to HIV/AIDS.
Rev. Alex Kwesi Twumasi, Director of UPNRC called on churches to forge a common front to fight the AIDS menace to secure the future of the youth, who are most vulnerable.
Source: GhanaWeb
