Teachers To Undergo AIDS Test

The Ghana Aids Commission (GAC) from next month would start a nationwide research to determine the rate of HIV/AIDS infection among teachers.

Subsequently, it will start recruiting research and other experts on Monday to constitute a committee that would carry out the exercise. The main source of information for the committee would be medical records of all teachers in the various health institutions throughout the country and voluntary reporting of teachers infected.

The Director-General of GAC, Professor Sekyi A Amoa disclosed these in Accra in an interview with the ?Ghanaian Times? after a three-day HIV/AIDS seminar for over 700 students drawn from 54 first and second cycle institutions. It was jointly organized by the GAC, Jeslave Gospel Communication Ministries International, a non-governmental organization (NGO) based in Accra and the National Youth Council (NYC). Prof Amoa said a similar research would be carried-out on all health workers and the military later this year.

This, he said, has become necessary because of the impact the activities of the above sectors had on the human resource base of the country. He noted that the results after a similar research in some African countries revealed a very frightening picture. He said ?Zambia lost 1,300 teachers in 10 months Central African Republic closed 107 schools due to the staff shortage, and Cote d?Ivoire confirmed the HIV/AIDS account for seven out of 10 deaths among teachers?.

Although the results of the research would be made public, Prof Amoa gave the assurance that no individual or a particular school would be tagged with the results to forestall stigmatization.