Dr Richard Ameyah, Director of Technical Services of the Ghana Aids Commission (GAC), observed that efforts being made by the commission and other organizations to fight the HIV/AIDS menace would come to nothing if stigmatization and discrimination do not stop.
"Stigmatization and discrimination against people living with the virus and their close relations are not helping the crusade against the disease at all".
Dr Ameyah said this at a workshop on HIV/AIDS for farmers and organizations involved in the crusade against the disease in Koforidua.
The workshop, organized by Ecumenical Association for Sustainable Agriculture and Rural Development (ECASARD), in collaboration with PROLINOVA Ghana South HIV/AIDS for Participatory Innovatory Development (HAPID) project, brought together 40 farmers and Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) from the Asante, Eastern, Central, Greater Accra and Volta Regions.
Dr Ameyah said the current prevalent rate of the disease was 1.9 and cautioned that Ghanaians should not rejoice over it thinking that all was well, but rather continue to spread the message to ensure HIV/AIDS free society in a few years to come.
He said another area of concern to the commission as far as the crusade was concerned, was attitudinal change, especially among the youth, although awareness creation was said to have reached almost 100 hundred percent.
Dr king David Amoah, National Coordinator for ECASARD said HIV/AIDS should not be considered as a health issue any more, but a national development problem because it affected every sector of the economy.
He said the programme had an overall objective of strengthening and adding value to the work of the organization currently involved in the PROLINOVA network and other local organizations supporting HIV/AIDS affected households.
He said agriculture, which was the major occupation in Ghana, should not suffer because of the disease and advised farmers to be wary of the disease.
Dr Amoah said agricultural activities had suffered in many African countries because of the existence of the disease, adding that this should not be allowed to happen in Ghana.