Elgin Taylor, Gleaner Writer
LLUIDAS VALE, St. Catherine
A WORKSHOP on the management policy of HIV/AIDS was held on Friday at Ascot Hall in Old Harbour, St. Catherine, for principals, board chairmen, guidance counsellors and Parent Teachers' Association representatives from schools in Region six of the Ministry of Education, Youth and Culture.
The topic covered included the means of contracting the disease, its symptoms, methods of prevention and the laws governing HIV/AIDS.
The main presenter was Mr. Anthony Davis, health promotion specialist in the ministry, while Mary Nichols, guidance counsellor and child welfare officer with the Education Ministry briefly addressed the group.
The stakeholders in education were told to go back to their institutions and establish a health advisory committee. This committee would in turn form an action team to monitor and document plans and programmes for dealing with the matter of AIDS/HIV education.
The Caribbean is second to Sub-Sarahan Africa in the prevalence of AIDS/HIV infections.
The data have also shown that about 10 per cent of affected persons in Jamaica are 19 years old or younger, hence the urgent need for a workshop of this nature.
