NGO calls on MPs to test for HIV/AIDS

Accra, June 11, GNA - An NGO is calling on all Members of Parliament to test for HIV/AIDS and declare their status as a means of lending their support to the campaign against the pandemic. Mr Kwesi Addae, a Trustee of Education and Health For All, an organization currently involved with an HIV/AID awareness programme dubbed, "Know Your HIV Status" campaign made the call in a statement in Accra.

"There are several reasons for this challenge. Firstly, knowing one's status is a very crucial part of education against the spread of HIV ", the statement said adding that, unfortunately, Ghanaians generally shied away from getting tested for various reasons, including the fear of testing positive and being stigmatised. Members of Parliament would therefore encourage members of the public to do the same if they got themselves tested.

Secondly, the public ought to be constantly reminded and assured that testing positive was not a death sentence and parliamentarians could further declare their status to demonstrate that one could still continue to lead active and useful life despite their status. Knowing one's status would help the person to undergo appropriate treatment and help to adopt healthier lifestyles and not to spread the virus.