Ghana Aids Commission bemoans spike in HIV infections among youth
The Ghana Aids Commission has bemoaned the spike in HIV(human immunodeficiency virus) infections among the youth in recent times.
Director-General of the Ghana Aids Commission, Mr Kyeremeh Atuahene added that in 2020 alone 5,211 young people between the ages of 15 and 24 were infected making the situation alarming.
A further breakdown into the Ghana Aids Commission figures reveals that in 2020, a total of 18,928 with 28 per cent of all new infections being youth. Of the number 5,211 youth infections, 4,325 were females and 886 males. Also, 10,032 adults who are aged 25 and above were infected whiles 3,596 were children. Currently, there are 27,690 children between ages 0 and 14 living with HIV. And in 2020, there were 12, 758 related deaths.
Instances that cause HIV infections are issues like sexual violence where a person is raped. This could lead to the individual being infected. Another issue is sexual promiscuity among the youth where some engage in casual sex can also trigger an infection.
Besides the ones stated above, one other major cause is the seeming decline in sex and HIV/AIDS education among the youth has been identified as a prominent contributory factor to the recent spike in infections.
For those who were already infected, the stigma attached to the disease is preventing such patients from opening up and getting to a hospital for sustained antiretroviral therapy.
The commission has also recommended that it is high time parents of teenagers also open up to their children concerning issues of sex and the implications of having multiple sex partners since if the parents do not open up to them their peers might lead them to the wrong path which might get them infected.
This report from the Ghana Aids Commission is a wake-up call to Ghanaians that HIV AIDS is still around and as we tackle Covid-19, we must also reflect on how to also curb the rate of HIV infections.
By: Stella Annan | myactiveonline.com Twitter @activetvgh
