The Director General of the Ghana AIDS Commission, Dr. Kyeremeh Atuahene has noted that the Bole District is leading with the highest number of HIV cases in the Savannah Region.
He made this known in an exclusive interview with Yagbon radio on Monday, October 11, 2021, where he said that 3,135 people are leaving with HIV/AIDS in the Savannah Region but the Bole District has a prevalence percentage of 0.9 making it the highest District with HIV cases in the Region followed by the Sawla-Tuna-Kalba District.
It is estimated that over 346,120 people are living with HIV/AIDS in the country as at the end of 2020 across all segments of the population with 116,364 males and 229,756 females representing 66% of the total number of HIV patients with adults who are 15 years and older constituting 317,410 representing 92% whiles individuals who are below 15 years numbering 28,7810 representing 8% of the population living with HIV .
He cautioned individuals who have not yet infected with the virus to endeavor to protect themselves from the virus by abstaining from sex since the virus is driven by heterosexual sex or better still to engage in protected sex.
He noted that over 19,000 cases of HIV were recorded in 2020 alone which shows that 52 cases were recorded daily but the commission is working hard to ensure that zero new cases are recorded daily and called on the public most especially the youth to practice the ABC method of prevention.
He disclosed that the treatment of HIV is to prolong life and encouraged patients to stick to their prescriptions since that is the way one can live long, be heathy and productive and called on patients who are not on treatment in the Region to get themselves enrolled with the District Health Directorate.
He cautioned the general public on the stigmatization of HIV patients and to show them love and support. However, he admonished HIV patients to report any act of stigmatization to the police, CHRAJ and other law enforcing agencies for prosecution.
The Bole District Health Director, Ndepewurche Hajia Fuseina Sulemana reaffirmed that the District has the highest number of positive HIV/AIDS cases among all other districts in the Savannah region with a total number of 77 HIV patients in 2020.
“We tested 2,160 individuals for HIV/AIDS in 2020 of which 77 were found positive with 39 females and 38males but this year alone there are 85females who are already infected with the virus even though the testing is still ongoing”, she disclosed.
She cautioned females within the District to abstain from indiscriminate sex and should make it a point to know their HIV status of their partners before engaging in any sexual act.
“Testing for HIV is free and I will encourage all females to know their health status and that of their partners before having a sexual affair with or even marriage”, she added.
She also used the opportunity to admonish the people in the District to still adhere to the covid-19 protocols to help minimize the spread of the virus.
Source: yagbonradioonline/Issah Zakaria
