No medical certificate, no marriage - Church

Kade, April 29, GNA - With immediate effect the Akwatia District of the Church of Pentecost will demand a medical certificate to attest that a couple is HIV/AIDS negative before they enter into holy matrimony.

Those who marry customarily will also have to produce one before they can have their marriages blessed by the Church. Pastor J. K. Ware in charge of the Districtannounced this at a convention of the Kade zone of the Church at Kade.

This was after members had heard a lecture on HIV/AIDS delivered by Mr John Teye Larwer, AIDS facilitator and counsellor. Pastor Ware said the church has launched an educational campaign against the disease and hoped members would exercise great caution and refrain from acts that would endanger their life since the disease is incurable.

Mr Larwer said the disease was fast spreading and 200 people are known to be contracting it daily in Ghana and it is feared that unless the spread is checked, by 2008 about 70 per cent of all hospital beds will be occupied by AIDS patients.

He said HIV/AIDS is transmitted through blood and bodily fluids during sexual intercourse, drug addicts sharing common needles for injection or quacks using single needle for multiple injections, blood transfusion with contaminated blood or razor blade or toothbrush used by someone with HIV/AIDS.

Mr Larwer said the disease could not be transmitted through handshake or eating from a common bowl and, therefore, cautioned against shunning the company or neglecting those with the disease.

He said in view of the gravity of the situation care should be taken by everyone since all are at risk.