By Benjamin Nii Nai Anyetei
The Ghana AIDS Commission (GAC) has expressed concern over low condom use among young people, particularly adolescent girls and young women, warning that the situation is undermining efforts to reduce HIV infections in the Volta Region.
According to GAC, there are currently 19,078 people living with HIV (PLHIV) in the region, representing 5.7 per cent of Ghana’s total population of 334,721 PLHIV. This figure includes 4,999 males aged 15 years and above, 12,881 females aged 15 years and above, and 1,198 children.
The Volta Regional Technical Coordinator of GAC, Mary Naa Asheley Anyomi, disclosed this during the inauguration of the reconstituted Regional Committee of the Ghana AIDS Commission in Ho last Monday.
She noted that the general population HIV prevalence rate in the region stands at 2.1 per cent, while prevalence among female sex workers is 4.3 per cent. Among men who have sex with men (MSM), the prevalence rate is 28.1 per cent.
Mrs Anyomi further revealed that the region recorded 809 new HIV cases, made up of 221 males aged 15 years and above, 519 females aged 15 years and above, and 69 children.
She added that antiretroviral treatment coverage across the region’s 18 districts ranges between 38.4 per cent and 61.5 per cent.
The GAC Regional Technical Coordinator also disclosed that HIV intervention programmes in the Volta Region are solely donor-funded and not widespread. She indicated that stigma and discrimination against people living with HIV continue to discourage testing, treatment, and disclosure.
On the way forward, Mrs Anyomi stressed the need to expand HIV testing services, including community-based testing, to reach remote and marginalised populations. She also underscored the importance of promoting condom use and ensuring their availability across the region.
