World AIDS Day: Residents in Takoradi express views on knowing their status

Correspondence from Western Region

Knowing one’s HIV status comes with lots of headaches to people due to the stigma and psychological effects attached to it.

To this effect, people do not always want to test to know whether they are negative or positive because such people do not even dare to test not to even talk of knowing they are positive.

Speaking to GhanaWeb, some people in the western region expressed their views on knowing their status as the world celebrates World AIDS day today.

Some of them were of the view that they knew their status after testing for once and after that, they bothered not to check it again.

One of the respondents said she has not tested because she is not engaged in any sexual activity which she thinks is the major cause of HIV. However, she is ready to test.

But others also believed that they have been tested over and over to know their status.

According to the Director-General of the Ghana AIDS Commission, Dr. Kyereme Atuahene during the launch of the 5th edition of the National HIV and AIDS Research Conference (NHARCON) in Accra, over 100,000 individuals in the country lived with HIV without knowing their status.

Speaking in an interview with the HIV Focal Person in the Tarkwa Nsuaem Municipality in the Western Region, Rhoda Gyapong is encouraging all to go out and test to know their status.

According to her, “if you get tested and you are negative you can move on with your life, but if you are positive, then we give you the necessary counseling and referral to start your treatment”.

Rhoda advised the public to remain committed to the ABC way of prevention; Abstinence, Faithful, and Condom usage.