"HIV/Aids Is Biggest Health Challenge" -Kufuor

Ghanaian President John Agyekum Kufuor said Thursday that the biggest challenge facing the world's health sector is the HIV/AIDS pandemic.
"...HIV/AIDS is crippling national economies and undermining businesses," he noted, in his first State of the nation address to parliament.
He said there have been "horror stories" about HIV/AIDS in a number of African countries.
Companies, he said, are losing productivity and spending more on hiring and retraining as workers fall ill.
"In Ghana our situation is serious and is threatening to assume epidemic proportions. It is not too late to act but we must act fast and with resolution," he said.
Ghana's national HIV/AIDS prevalence rate is about four percent and the health authorities fear that it might explode if serious measures are not taken to check the spread.
The authorities have stepped up their campaign against the disease but fear there is still recklessness.
Kufuor said the country with an estimated 19 million people, must face up to the realities of the situation and not shy away because of various sensibilities.
"Those (countries) who have successfully challenged this scourge, like Uganda and Senegal, have found the courage to speak openly and frankly about sex and relationships within the vulnerable age groups. We must learn from them and do likewise."
He said the HIV/AIDS pandemic is a problem that must be dealt with in concert with Ghana's neighbours and the international community as a whole.