By Dennis Peprah/Christopher Tetteh, GNA
Sunyani, (Bono), April 21, GNA-New HIV infections are fast spreading in the Berekum Municipality of the Bono Region, recording the highest HIV and AIDS prevalence of 3.34 percent, Mr Mark Kyeremeh Oppong, Bono Regional Technical Officer, Monitoring and Evaluation, Ghana Health Service (GHS) has said.
He said the figure as recorded in the 2023 HIV and AIDS sentinel survey of the Ghana AIDS Commission (GAC) was alarming, saying, the Bono Region in general, was recording disturbing figures too.
Mr Oppong called on sexually active young people to abstain from premarital sexual practices, multiple sex partners, and urged those who could not control their sexual desires to avoid unprotected sex.
He was speaking at the launch of the “Miss Elegance Tertiary Ghana 2025”, a beauty pageant initiated by the Reproductive Needs and Fitness (RENEF) foundation, a health-centered Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO).
RENEF focuses on reproductive health and promotes gender equality and using the 2025 beauty pageant as a campaign to encourage tertiary students to voluntarily check their HIV and AIDS status and to help bring the rising cases under control.
Mr Oppong regretted that the Bono Region had in three consecutive years led in the HIV and High prevalence rates in the country, saying the rate HIV infections were spreading in the region required urgent research to ascertain the causes of the spread.
Mrs Abigail Antwi-Baafi, the Chief Executive Officer of the RENEF said the foundation was using the beauty pageant to intensify the “know your HIV status” campaign for especially tertiary students to test and know their HIV and AIDS status.
“We aim at tackling health and social needs through entertainment,” she stated, and the campaign was also aimed at augmenting the agenda “95-95-95” of the GAC, she stated.
The United Nations Joint Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) has set ambitious treatment targets known as Project 95-95-95, aiming to achieve 95 percent of people living with HIV knowing their status, 95 percent of diagnosed individuals on antiretroviral therapy (ART), and 95 percent of those on ART achieving viral suppression.
As part of the campaign, Mrs Antwi-Baafi said free condoms would also be distributed to encourage the public to use condoms and protect themselves from new infections of HIV.
In all 12 tertiary institutions comprising Technical Universities and Colleges of Education are participating in the beauty pageant.
GNA
DEN/LAA