The Medical Superintendent of Kpandai District Hospital in the Northern Regional , Dr Abdul Aziz, has disclosed that HIV/AIDS is on rise in the district.
Speaking in an interview with Adom News reporter, Odehyeba Owusu Job, Dr Aziz expressed worry over the increasing number of HIV infections received in the facility, especially among the youth.
He believes the wake up call should be sounded now, urging the government to collaborate with necessary stakeholders on public sensitisation to reduce HIV infection among the youth.
Dr Aziz described as alarming the negative behaviour patterns that predisposes the youth to the deadly infection.
He urged infected persons to disclose their statuses to their families to avert further spread.
“If you don’t disclose your HIV status to your husband, wife, boyfriend, girlfriend, it means that you will engage in sex and unintentionally or intentionally you will infect him or her.”
The Medical Superintendent noted that HIV is not a death sentence and there are available treatments which can ensure an infected person lives a normal life.
“There is a treatment for HIV and when you test positive you are given treatment and you can never get to the AIDS stage and even continue to live a normal life and at a point, because you are on treatment you can no more transmit the infection to anybody that is why we must test to know our HIV status so that we can stop HIV new infections.”
He called on traditional authorities and religious bodies to support the Hospital to educate people to help stop new infections in the Kpandai District.
“The traditional authorities, religious authorities play a very important role in our quest to respond effectively to HIV/AIDS, especially mobilising people to test for HIV and supporting people to eliminate mother-to-child transmission of HIV and educating people to avoid stigma and discrimination,” he added.
He made this known when the Kpandai District Superintendent of Police, Richard Odartey Lantei, organised a clean up exercise at the hospital.