Mrs Janet Odei Paintsil, the Agona East District Chief Executive (DCE), revealed that from January to December 2022, 15 pregnant women were proven to have contracted HIV/AIDS
She stated this in an interview with the Ghana News Agency after addressing the Assembly’s third ordinary meeting in Nsaba, the district capital.
45 of the 1,083 people who voluntarily sought to know their HIV/AIDS status tested positive.
As a result, she advocated for re-strategizing, particularly during the holiday season, to ensure that people were cautious in their activities in order to mitigate the situation.
“While we celebrate the occasion, we must keep in mind that the COVID-19 pandemic is still present, so let us continue to be cautious and strictly adhere to the safety protocols to avoid contracting the virus,”
“It’s past time to practice moderation, especially during the Yuletide season, to protect all from anti-social vices like drunkenness, drug abuse, and immoral sexual activities.”
Mrs Paintsil urged Assembly members, chiefs, and opinion leaders to join the crusade in raising awareness for community members, particularly youth, to participate in voluntary counseling and testing to determine their status in order to prevent the disease from spreading further.
“Life is precious, so let us all take care and stay safe because the Assembly requires everyone to be alive and healthy in order to carry out our core mandate of making Agona East District a place of choice.”
Mrs. Paintsil also expressed concern about sanitation issues, which the Assembly had addressed in order to make the district clean and free of open defecation.
She informed the house that, since January, the assembly has provided deep freezers, fufu, and tomato grinding machines to people with disabilities (PWD) to enable them to engage in business ventures and become self-sufficient.
With the construction of two three-unit classroom blocks at Tawaora and Duakwa, the assembly aimed to reduce dropout rates and create a healthier environment for teaching and learning.
She urged people to be security conscious and to follow the mantra “when you see something, say something” in order to keep crime at bay.
The assembly also received 400 street lights, which it has since distributed to several communities in order to improve road safety by allowing pedestrians and motorists to see clearly at night.
Mrs Paintsil wished the people a happy new year and urged them to give the Assembly their full support for rapid development.