The Ada-East Health Director, Dr. Hubert Hounkpatin, has revealed that polygamous culture and attitudinal disposition have been contributing causes to the district’s high number of recorded HIV cases.
He raised concern about the numbers recorded in the district, particularly among adults, the majority of whom had more than one sexual partner, claiming that the district’s prevalence rate is greater than both regional and national rates.
Dr. Hounkpatin who disclosed this at an Ada East District Assembly Ordinary Session said, in Ada, they have multiple partners, and that is where the issue is.
He said as health professionals, they cannot disclose to partners the HIV status of their partners.
According to him, the transmission of HIV is mostly dependent on unprotected sex among persons who have a high number of relationships, since those who have several partners are more likely to transmit the disease than those who do not connect into a larger sexual network.
The District Health Director emphasized that condoms are supplied to community members for free, but some do not use them, and appealed for behavioural change to lessen the threat in the district.
He advised infected people to avoid unprotected sex with uninfected partner or partners with uncertain HIV status.
The Ada East District Chief Executive, Sarah Dugbakie Pobee, lamented that most guests who come to the area for social activities end up impregnating the young females, which can be one of the factors leading to the high incidence of instances of HIV cases being documented.
She said Ada’s position as a tourism enclave means that people flock in virtually every weekend, and that the risk of those visitors spreading the disease to Ada inhabitants is considerable, emphasizing that the situation needs to be thoroughly investigated and addressed.
SOURCE: GNA
