Health authorities in the Asokore-Mampong Municipality have raised alarm over the high rate of HIV infections in the area.
They have stressed the need for urgent action from all stakeholders to contain the disease and prevent it from spiraling out of control.
In 2022, the municipality witnessed a rise in HIV prevalence from 1.46 percent to 1.61 percent in 2023, indicating an increase of 0.15 percent in reported cases.
The Municipal Director of Health Services, Reverend Solomon Anum-Doko, told the Ghana News Agency that data obtained from the Ashanti Regional Health Directorate revealed that the 2023 HIV estimates and projections for individuals living with HIV/AIDS in the municipality stood at 2,262.
These figures include 749 males, 1,406 females, and 107 children who have been infected with the virus.
A total of 144 new infections, comprising 46 males, 88 females, and 10 children, were recorded in 2023.
Rev. Anum-Doko emphasized that the escalating rate of reported cases requires urgent attention from all stakeholders, particularly the youth, to lead advocacy efforts for abstinence, monogamy, condom use, and regular visits to HIV testing centers in the municipality to monitor health status.
He attributed the surge in HIV cases primarily to unprotected sexual intercourse, noting that approximately 70–80 percent of cases result from sexual activity, while other modes of transmission are relatively less common.
He also warned against stigmatization of the disease and highlighted that the availability of HIV/AIDS medication enables people with the disease to seek early diagnosis and treatment, which helps reduce its spread.
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