700 youth died of AIDS related illness last year

Mr Welbeck Amoani Twum, the Brong-Ahafo Regional Coordinator of Technical Support Unit on AIDS, has said the current HIV situation in Ghana showed that the youth had been the focus of attack by the epidemic.

He said it was more disheartening that about 700 youth between 15-24 years died of AIDS related illness in Ghana last year.

Mr Twum said this at the Brong-Ahafo Regional celebration of 2012 World AIDS Day in Sunyani on the theme “Accelerating to Zero Together”.

He said 13 per cent of People Living with HIV (PLHIV) were between 15-24 years while 37 per cent of 4,437l new infections in 2011 occurred within the same age group.

The prevalence among the youth between 15-24 years was 1.7 and two young people died of AIDS daily and more than 170,000 orphans had been recorded since the discovery of HIV in the country.

Last year, 225,478 adults were living with AIDS and 30,401 children also lived with HIV.

Mr Twum said 34 million people are living with HIV worldwide while 30 million people had died of AIDS related cases since the beginning of the epidemic.

He said the Brong-Ahafo Region had the highest number of persons with AIDS as the prevalence in the last HIV survey was 2.0 per cent, a marginally higher figure compared with the national average of 1.5 per cent.

Mr Twum said there was evidence of increased activities of Female Sex Workers (FSW), homosexuals and injection drug users as a result of increased commercial activities in the Region.

He said the youth especially those in Senior High Schools were adopting sophisticated and risky sex lives and called for intensive HIV preventive education on abstinence, behaviour change communication, condom promotion and reduction of stigmatisation and discrimination against PLHIV.

Mr Twum mentioned HIV testing and counselling, prevention of mother to child transmission of HIV, blood safety, post exposure prophylaxis, treatment of sexually transmitted infection and ensuring universal precautions with health and other settings as some measures that could avert the possible resurge of HIV and AIDS in the Region.

He suggested that there should be an effort of finding innovative ways of infusing HIV and AIDS activities into education, economic and social cultural celebrations to bring the message to the doorsteps of the youth and called on all and sundry to support efforts to reduce the HIV which had been a challenge in the Region and assist in mobilising local resources towards the Regional response.

Mr Kwasi Oppong-Ababio, Sunyani Municipal Chief Executive, said the surest way to combat HIV and AIDS in the world was through living responsible lifestyles and urged the youth to avoid premarital sex, be faithful and loyal to their partners.

He urged the public to know their HIV status as well as other infectious diseases adding that most people were hiding their health status for fear of having psychological trauma and being stigmatised in their homes and workplaces.