The Wa Municipal anti-HIV/AIDS Committee has started supplying free condoms to hotels, drinking bars and restaurants in the municipality for distribution to their clients as a way of arresting the low patronage of condoms in the area.

According to Mr Michael Bayel, the Municipal Focal Person on HIV/AIDS, investigations showed that unprotected sex accounted for about 80 percent of all HIV cases in the area.

This has resulted in the municipality constantly recording a prevalence rate of 3.2 percent, which was above the regional and national average of 2.6 and 2.2 percent respectively.

Mr Bayel said this at a meeting with representatives of organizations engaged in anti-HIV/AIDS campaigns in the municipality to take stock of their performance and brainstorm on how they could address lapses in their sensitisation programmes.

He disclosed that GH¢18,600 was received from the Ghana AIDS Commission for the implementation of their sensitisation programmes between October 2006 and July this year but the amount he noted, was inadequate to enable them carry out any intensive campaigns.

Alhaji Osman Salifu, Municipal Coordinating Director warned all organizations that had been allocated funds to fight the spread of HIV/AIDS to produce results in accordance with the guidelines set by the Ghana AIDS Commission.

He told them to be prepared to refund the amounts if they did not produce any results in the discharge of their obligations.

"You should see the task of checking the spread of the pandemic as a moral duty and not an opportunity to exploit for financial gain", he stressed.

Alhaji Zaid Tamimu, Regional Focal Person on the disease, said the government was expending enough resources to stop the disease from having a devastating effect on the socio-economic life of the citizenry but if people charged with spearheading the fight against it did not live up to the challenge, not much could be achieved.



Source: GNA