the Ghana HIV and AIDS Network (GHANET) has sounded the alarm over a sharp rise in HIV diagnoses, revealing that nearly 34,000 people have been newly diagnosed in just nine months.
The President of the Network, Ernest Amoabeng Ortsin, made this revelation during an interview on Joy News’ AM Show on Monday, 18th November.
According to him, this figure refers to individuals who may have been living with the virus for five to ten years, but are being diagnosed for the first time.
“If you look at the data for the year 2023, the estimates are that new infections, that’s the people who are getting the virus for the very first time was about 17,740.
Those were new infections but then this 34,000 actually refers to newly diagnosed, “he explained.
Mr Amoabeng also highlighted some significant factors contributing to the rise in HIV infections.
“We have a whole new crop of young people who are growing up and who have next to nothing knowledge about HIV/AIDS. So that lack of knowledge is contributing,” he said.
He further explained that complacency is a growing issue, as many people are aware that individuals living with HIV when on antiretroviral treatment, can manage the virus and often show no symptoms.
“People are becoming complacent because individuals living with HIV are not displaying the symptoms that were common in the past, such as emaciation, weight loss, and skin rashes. This is due to the effectiveness of antiretroviral medications,” he noted.
In recent years, the gap between the rich and the poor in Ghana has grown wider, partly due to differences in their behaviour.
Previous studies in Ghana show that sexual behaviour between men and women, marital status (especially being widowed, divorced, or separated), and differences in premarital sex between males and females all play a role in the spread of HIV/AIDS in the country.
Dr Stephen Ayisi-Addo, the Programme Manager of the Ghana National AIDS Control Programme (NACP), has strongly linked the high HIV/AIDS rates to the public’s low use of contraceptives and other family planning methods.
