Ashanti Regional Director of Health educates public on PrEP as key tool for HIV prevention

Dr Fred Adomako-Boateng, Ashanti Regional Director of Health Services, has urged the public to take advantage of Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP), a highly effective HIV prevention method that many people are still unaware of.

PrEP is a medication that can be taken to prevent HIV transmission from a partner living with HIV and AIDS to a negative partner during sexual intercourse.

It significantly lowers one’s risk of contracting HIV and is a highly effective prevention method, reducing the risk of getting HIV from sex by about 99 per cent when used as prescribed.

Speaking during a media briefing in Kumasi to mark World AIDS Day, Dr Adomako-Boateng stressed that while HIV prevention efforts had traditionally focused on abstinence, condom use, and treatment, PrEP had emerged as an additional tool that could significantly reduce new infections.

“Many people do not know that PrEP exists, and even fewer know that it is available for free in several health facilities across the Ashanti region,” he said.

He explained that PrEP was especially useful for people at higher risk of HIV exposure, including young men and women, discordant couples—where one partner is HIV positive and the other negative, key populations, and anyone who feels vulnerable.

According to him, HIV prevention had evolved, and PrEP was safe, simple, and highly effective.

Dr Adomako-Boateng highlighted the urgency of expanding prevention awareness due to the region’s HIV treatment gap.

Although the Ashanti region has seen a 28.2 per cent rise in the number of clients on treatment, only 52.9 per cent of people estimated to be living with HIV are currently receiving care.

“This means thousands of people either do not know their status or are not yet on medication.

“To close this gap, we must strengthen both testing and prevention

and PrEP is one of the surest ways to avoid infection altogether,” he stated.

He encouraged the public, especially youth and men, who often test late, to access free and confidential testing services.

Knowing one’s status, he said, remained the first step in taking control of one’s health, whether through early treatment or preventive options like PrEP.

Dr Adomako-Boateng also called for an end to stigma and discrimination, which continued to hinder people from testing and seeking care.

“HIV is a health condition, not a moral failure,” he noted, stressing that people living with HIV deserved love, respect, and dignity.”

The Regional Health Directorate, he said, would continue to collaborate with traditional leaders, assembly members, faith-based groups, schools, youth organisations, and the media to increase awareness about PrEP and other HIV services.