By Godfred Aaneamenga Polkuu
Bolgatanga, Feb. 28, GNA – The Ghana Health Service (GHS) in the Bolgatanga Municipality has recorded a total of 13 cases of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) between January and February 2026.
Mr Alhassan Lawal, Bolgatanga Municipal Director of Health Services, disclosed this in an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) on the sidelines of the Directorate’s 2025 annual performance review meeting.
“The number of new HIV cases we are recording is on the ascendancy. Between January and February 2026 alone, we recorded 13 positive cases, which is quite serious. If this trend continues, one can only imagine the number of HIV-positive cases we will have in the Bolgatanga Municipality,” he stated.
The review meeting was held under the theme: “Strengthening health systems for sustainable and equitable access to quality health care: the role of monitoring and supportive supervision.”
The event brought together management and staff of the Service to deliberate on their performance during the year under review and to strategize for improved service delivery across the Municipality.
Mr Lawal cautioned the public, especially the youth, regarding the spread of the virus, saying, “Let’s be mindful that there is an upsurge of HIV/AIDS, especially this year. Let’s be cautious in everything we do. Even if you cannot practice abstinence, always use a condom so that we can all be safe.”
He noted that although the Directorate had not yet conducted formal research into the upsurge, he attributed the spike to a possible rise in commercial sex work within the Municipality.
“Another possible reason could be that we have intensified our screening efforts. The more we screen the population, the more cases we detect,” Mr Lawal explained.
The Director expressed concern that many young people are more focused on preventing pregnancy than avoiding Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) and advocated the proper and consistent use of condoms for those who do not practice abstinence
GNA
Edited by Caesar Abagali/Audrey Dekalu