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Ghana’s efforts to combat HIV are beset with serious obstacles as troubling patterns have been identified in the latest national and sub-national HIV and AIDS estimations and predictions for 2023.
17,774 individuals, comprising 6,457 men and 11,317 women, contracted HIV for the first time last year.
In terms of the new infections, adults over the age of 15 accounted for 16,076 cases, children under the age of 15 made up 1,698 cases, adolescents between the ages of 10 and 19 contributed 1,520 cases, and teenagers from 15 to 24 accounted for 4,869 instances.
On Wednesday, June 19, 2024, in Accra, these figures were presented by Dr. Kyeremeh Atuahene, the Director-General of the Ghana AIDS Commission.
He noted that while there was a 14.8 per cent decrease in new infections between 2013 and 2023, the country did not meet its annual target of a 17 per cent reduction in new HIV infections.
“The data indicates that Ghana has not been able to achieve its annual target of a 17 per cent reduction in new HIV infections in the last ten years,” Dr. Atuahene stated.
Ghana is expected to experience a 41% reduction in new HIV infections between 2023 and 2030. The current state of affairs is still grave, though.
According to forecasts for 2023, 115,891 men and 218,204 women, or 334,095 individuals, were living with HIV in Ghana.
Subsequent examination of the 2023 data indicates that 316,545 people aged 15 and above, 17,550 children under 14, 16,381 adolescents between 10 and 19, and 33,245 young adults between 15 and 24 were HIV positive.
Additionally, the research showed that the HIV population rose by 9% between 2013 and 2023 and is predicted to increase by 6.8% by 2030.
Dr. Atuahene emphasized how urgent it is to step up efforts to combat HIV in Ghana and how important it is to hit future targets in order to contain the disease.
“We must continue and enhance our efforts to address the HIV crisis in Ghana. Achieving our future targets is crucial for curbing the epidemic and ensuring the health and well-being of our population,” he added.
Source: Ghanatodayonline.com
