ABC method not effective to reduce spread of AIDS

Mampong (Ash), Oct 13, GNA - Mr Jacob Amoah, a pharmacist at the Asante-Mampong Government Hospital, has observed that the ABC method being employed to combat the spread of HIV/AIDS was failing to achieve the intended results.

This was because the adolescents who constituted the majority of the population and the most sexually active did not follow the method. Speaking in an interview with the Ghana News Agency at Mampong at the weekend, Mr Amoah, who together with Dr George Acquaye also of the Mampong Hospital, had developed a herbal preparation for the treatment of People Living With AIDS (PLWA), said the youth had defaulted on the abstinence approach because they were under the influence of hormonal changes, which made them susceptible to sexual drive.

Mr Amoah said it was therefore needless to talk about being faithful because the adolescents were yet to marry. On the use of condoms, he noted that the stress had been on all types instead of specific ones, pointing out that some condoms had small reduction in the quality of satisfaction compared with others on the market.

In view of these deficiencies, Mr Amoah called for the proper and effective dissemination of body knowledge on proper sexual intercourse, which, he said, ensured the effective control of sexually transmitted diseases.

He also stressed the need for inter-sectoral coordination towards information, education and communication in the face of poverty and mal-nutrition.