By Jerry Azanduna
Techiman (BE/R), Nov.8, GNA- The Bono East Region last year recorded about 13,443 Human Immune Virus (HIV) cases consisting of 3,923 males and 9,520 females.
It is estimated that 1.81 per cent of the affected persons were between the ages of 15 to 49 and 4.1 per cent for age groups Mr Ahmed Ibrahim Bambilla, Technical Coordinator for the Bono, Bono East and Ahafo Regions of the Ghana Aids Commission noted.
He made the disclosure at a stakeholders’ meeting at Techiman on HIV prevention in the Region by using Senior High school (SHS) students to check the spread of HIV in the Region.
The meeting was organized by the US president’s Emergency Plan for Aids Relief (PEPFAR) project under the United States Embassy in Ghana to have an encounter with key stakeholders in education to find ways to prevent the extent of the disease in the Region.
Among the participants were heads of Senior High Institutions, Regional and District Education Directors, School Health coordinators, health practitioners, religious groups, and community leaders.
Mr Bimbilla further revealed the rate of infections in the area was very alarming and the new infections for the year 2022 were 679 comprising 160 males and 369 females and that the figures called on stakeholders to come out with strong measures that could control the menace.
Mrs Dzid Kwame, Media Specialist on the project at the US Embassy established that The PEPFAR project identifies the Bono East Region to be among the top five regions in the country with high HIV prevalence, in which most of the affected persons fall within the youth who were mostly students at Senior and Junior High schools in the region.
She said the project therefore seeks to engage students at Senior High Schools in the region to educate them on the need to stay safe by abstaining from sex and other activities that could get them infected.
Mrs Kwame hinted that about twenty-five Senior High Schools were expected to take part in the HIV awareness creation project in five regions across the country in which Bono East is a beneficiary due to its rising figures in infection.
She noted that the youth were key agents of change and advised them to concentrate on their education and stay away from any conduct that could cost their lives since the nation needs them for its future development.
Mr Goerge Padmore Mensah, the Bono East Regional chief director of the Regional Coordinating Council ( RCC) asked the stakeholders to support in addressing the issue to save the future of the region adding that it is very dangerous if all the human resources for the forthcoming generation were infected with HIV since it would negatively affect the workforce of the country in generating revenue to build the nation.
Mr Mensah emphasized that the RCC would be very committed to supporting the effective implementation of the project in ensuring that the menace was completely wiped out from the Region.
GNA