23,495 Ghanaians Test Positive For Deadly HIV/AIDS In 6 Months

• Statistics from the HIV/AIDS control programme have revealed the number of people who have contracted the virus in the country
• According to the figures, 23,495 Ghanaians have tested positive for the deadly virus in six months
• The surge in infections is coming despite renewed efforts and advocacy to keep the disease under check among the populace

23,495 Ghanaians have been reported to have contracted the deadly HIV/AIDS virus in the first half of the year.

This is according to statistics from the National STIs and HIV/AIDS Control Programme.

In order to examine initiatives for improved results, stakeholders and a network of institutions driving the HIV and AIDS response in the nation have started national stakeholder dialogues.

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According to the Ghana HIV&AIDS Network (GHANET), a non-profit organization in charge of HIV interventions in the nation, reinvigorated lobbying was necessary since, despite efforts to stop new infections and eradicate AIDS, the desired impact appeared to be far from being reached.

The network's president, Ernest Austin, told attendees at one of these stakeholder events in the nation's capital, Accra, that stakeholders must critically evaluate current initiatives due to the rise in infections.

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Dr Nii Nortey Hanson-Nortey, a public health expert and vice-chair of the Global Fund's country coordinating mechanism, stated that the main objectives of national interventions should include widespread education, testing, the administration of pre-and post-exposure prophylaxis, and the intensification of anti-retroviral treatment.

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"People should begin to rethink and not hide their HIV/AIDS status; after all, it is like a chronic disease which is not only acquired but also contracted," he said.

Men Are Not Disclosing Their HIV/AIDS Status; It Is Very Worrying - National Aids Control Programme

Rev. Kenneth Ayeh Danso, the NACP Monitoring and Evaluation Officer, provided additional details on the findings, stating that according to data from 2021, the nation had 345,599 persons living with HIV and AIDS.

According to him, only 262,042 affected individuals received anti-retroviral treatment as of June 2022.

He said that a further breakdown of the data showed that, of the total number of persons living with HIV/AIDS in the nation, 5% are children and 75% are females, suggesting that men may not be reporting a problem that needs to be addressed.

The Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) is a virus that attacks the body's immune system and interferes with its ability to fight infections.

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If left untreated, the deadly virus metamorphoses into Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS), which currently has no effective cure.

Even though there's no cure, strict adherence to anti-retroviral regimens (ARVs) can dramatically slow the disease's progress and prevent secondary infections and complications.

People are thus advised to strictly adhere to preventive protocols, including avoiding unprotected intercourse and abstaining, among other measures.

HIV Infection Recently High Among Pregnant Women In Ghana - Report

Earlier, YEN.com.gh reported that the manager of the National AIDS/STI Control Programme, Dr Stephen Ayisi Addo, had revealed that HIV infection is recently high among pregnant women in Ghana.

According to him, the surge in cases among pregnant women can be attributed to the increased confidence in infertility among persons living with HIV.

Source: YEN.com.gh