Ashanti HIV-AIDS prevalence rate drops

The prevalence rate of HIV-AIDS infection, from available statistics, is on a decline in the Ashanti Region.

It dropped by 1.1 per cent, from 3.9 per cent in year 2009 to 2.8 per cent in 2014.

Mr. Kwaku Asante, the Executive Director of the Agency for Health and Food Security (AHEFS), an NGO, who announced this called for sustained public education to keep the rate further down.

He was speaking at a meeting on the HIV/AIDS National Strategic Plan, which is being implemented in six selected districts in the region.

It involves non-clinical interventions – educating people, particularly, the youth on the disease’s prevention and treatment, voluntary testing, discourage stigmatization and promotion of condom use.

This is taking place in the Asante-Akim Central Municipality, Asante-Akim North, Sekyere Central, Bosome-Freho, Sekyere Afram Plains and Adansi North Districts.

Mr. Asante made reference to the Ghana Demographic Health Survey (GDHS) report, which showed that in 2014, only 19.9 per cent of women and 27.2 per cent of men, aged between 15 and 24 years, had knowledge about HIV/AIDS prevention and said this was troubling.

The situation, he noted, demanded vigorous awareness creation, especially among the youth.

Source: GNA