Panafrican News Agency - November 30, 2001

He said the notion that having unprotected sex was a demonstration of their manhood should be discarded.

"Let us treat our women folk, our sisters, daughters and wives with the dignity they deserve," he said in a recorded radio and television broadcast to mark World AIDS Day.

The day's theme is: "Men make a difference. I care ... Do you?"

Kufuor, who is currently on a visit to France, said it was worth noting that three percent of reported cases among females were in the range of 15-19 years and that even 10- year old girls had been infected.

"These are not mere statistics. These are our daughters, our sisters, our girlfriends and our wives and mothers. It is on them that our nation rests. It is within our power to make a difference," he said.

Kufuor said that he wore the HIV/AIDS red ribbon as often as he could, not just to draw attention to the menace, but in the hope that everyone would be forced to treat the subject with the seriousness that it deserves.

"We must act now to prevent the further spread of HIV/AIDS. Our collective future is in our hands. Let us safeguard it."

Kufuor reiterated the chilling statistics of the havoc being caused by HIV/AIDS saying, world-wide, nearly 30 million people were currently living with the disease and some 20,00 people were infected each day.

"In Ghana, it is estimated that about 200 people get infected with the disease everyday. And the resulting deaths are increasing," he said.

The estimated number of orphans occasioned from AIDS was 126,000.

"The experts tell me that the majority of people in Ghana do know about the danger and are aware of the pandemic, and even know about how the disease is spread; but strangely, this knowledge has not led to any appreciable change in our lifestyles."

Kufuor said members of the public knew that AIDS was spread mostly through unprotected sex but very few were practising safe sex.

"Consequently, the disease keeps spreading amongst the population at a rate the nation cannot afford to manage and contain."

The cumulative figure of HIV/AIDS cases since the disease first surfaced in 1986 is about 45,000 and the prevalence rate is fixed at about 4.6 percent although the authorities say it could be lower.

They warn, however, the country was close to the five- percent mark where it would spin out of control.

Kufuor said that even though HIV/AIDS had no known cure, it was spread in only a few ways, all of them capable of being controlled.

In Ghana, the main avenue of the spread was through heterosexual relationships, he noted, saying this should be under the control of everybody.

"For those who cannot abstain, it is imperative that we encourage fidelity among the partners; but if that fails, the best protection is the condom. And here we should not shy from using and practising the popular slogan which states: 'If it is not on, it is not in'."
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