By D.I. Laary, GNA
Koforidua, Oct 19, GNA – A surge in transient populations and seasonal migration is severely undermining the Eastern Region’s efforts to combat HIV, health authorities and regional stakeholders have warned.
Speaking at a strategic stakeholder meeting in Koforidua organized by the Ghana AIDS Commission (GAC), Mr Dramani Yakubu, Eastern Regional Technical Coordinator of the GAC revealed that while national infection rates are stabilizing, the region remains a high-burden hotspot driven by weekend migration, recreational tourism, and nightlife hubs.
The Eastern Region, he noted, currently records an HIV prevalence rate of 1.83 per cent, ranking second nationally behind the Bono Region.
With a total estimated population of 42,704 people living with HIV, the region accounts for thousands of new infections annually, driven largely by vibrant commercial centres and transit corridors.
The Transient Factor
Authorities point to vibrant weekend destinations such as Kwahu, Mpraeso, and major municipal capitals as vectors for viral transmission.
“When you look at Kwahu, especially during festive seasons like Easter, you see people flocking in from all over – including neighbouring countries – to enjoy their lives over the weekend,” Mr Ebenezer Amoah, Chief Director, Eastern Regional Coordinating Council, noted during deliberations.
“Whatever risky behaviours they leave behind, they leave in our communities”.
This influx of transient populations creates a complex epidemiological challenge. While public health outreach targets resident populations, highly mobile groups often slip through the cracks of continuous clinical monitoring and antiretroviral therapy (ART) adherence tracking.
Stigma, Self-Diagnosis, and Fake Cures
Beyond mobility, regional health advocates expressed deep concern over a resurgence of risky social behaviour and public complacency.
Health promotion officers noted that many individuals abandoned protective practices following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, mistakenly assuming HIV had been eradicated.
Compounding the problem is a proliferation of unverified medical claims and fake cures broadcast across social media platforms like TikTok.
Mrs Gifty Addo Tetebo, Eastern Regional HIV/AIDS/STI Coordinator of the Ghana Health Service, warned that these misleading advertisements lure vulnerable patients away from life-saving antiretroviral drugs, often resulting in rapid clinical decline and preventable deaths within months.
“The only magic that is working for persons living with HIV is antiretroviral therapy,” she stressed, cautioning patients against abandoning clinical regimens for spiritual or herbal concoctions.
Treatment Gaps and Demographic Vulnerabilities
Data presented at the briefing highlighted critical disparities across demographic lines.
Adolescents and young people aged 15 to 24 remain an increasingly vulnerable group, with thousands currently living with the virus.
Again, statistical disaggregation show that women and girls bear a disproportionate brunt of new infections, accounting for roughly 64 per cent of recent cases in certain brackets.
Despite these hurdles, the region has made measurable strides in treatment coverage.
Across the Eastern Region’s 53 operational ART sites, clinical retention and viral load suppression rates have steadily improved.
Officials emphasised that viral suppression not only saves individual lives but acts as a potent preventive measure, reducing community transmission to near-zero levels among compliant patients.
A Call for Coordinated Action
Regional leaders underscored the necessity of multi-sectoral collaboration, urging traditional authorities, civil society organizations, and local assemblies to step up grassroots surveillance and sensitization.
As the Ghana AIDS Commission rolls out its updated strategic framework leading toward 2030, stakeholders agreed that bridging the gap between transient populations and consistent healthcare access will determine whether the Eastern Region can successfully reverse its high-burden status.
Organised by the Eastern Regional Coordinating Council and the Ghana AIDS Commission, the meeting brought together regional officials, civil society groups and institutional leaders to review 2025 HIV data, address implementation gaps and plan targeted interventions.
New committee members were sworn into office to oversee the regional response and strengthen cooperation among institutions working to end AIDS as a public health threat.
GNA
Edited by Kenneth Odeng Adade
Reporter by D.I. Laary
Email: [email protected]