By Emmanuel Gamson
Takoradi, Nov. 30, GNA-The Western Regional Office of the Ghana AIDS Commission (GAC), has embarked on an enhanced sensitization drive to educate members of the public on measures to contain and combat the spread of HIV infections in the Region.
It educated the people through various platforms including local radio stations on topical issues related to the national HIV and AIDS response such as basic information on HIV, its prevention, treatment and support for persons living with HIV against stigma and discrimination, as well as HIV self-testing among others.
Mr Dramani Yakubu, the GAC Technical Coordinator responsible for Western and Western North regions, told the Ghana News Agency in an interview that the sensitization had become necessary since reports had revealed that about 23,904 persons were estimated to be living with HIV in the Western region, and 11,880 persons in Western North.
He said HIV prevalence in the Western region was currently 1.63 per cent while that of the Western North stood at 1.94 per cent.
He said: “The most worrying of these statistics is the new HIV infections, which stands at 1,101 for Western, and 606 for Western North regions for the year 2022 alone.”
To that end, Mr Yakubu said there was, therefore, the need for the Commission to devise pragmatic measures to promote lifestyles that were needed to reduce HIV infections in the two regions.
He stated that as part of the sensitization campaign, the Commission and its partners had between September and November, this year distributed a total of 69,200 male and 1,200 female condoms to some residents to promote its usage for protection against the virus.
“We have also given out about 7,000 fliers and 500 posters containing HIV and AIDS-related messages from September 2023 to date, because the rate of new HIV infections is unacceptable and we must all endeavour to play our part to reduce them drastically,” he added.
Mr Yakubu advised the people to avoid engaging in lifestyles that put them at risk of contracting the virus.
He also encouraged them to voluntarily test for HIV to know their statuses to help protect their partners from the virus in case they tested positive.
GNA