Over 70,000 people estimated to be living with HIV in Ashanti Region
A Ghana Aids Commission report from 2022 estimated that 72,429 people in Ghana's Ashanti Region were living with HIV. However, only 26,006 of these individuals were receiving life-saving antiretroviral (ARV) treatment through local health facilities. This left 46,421 people who were either undiagnosed or had stopped treatment. Mr. Dennis Bandoh, the Deputy Ashanti Regional Focal Person for HIV/AIDS, provided more recent data to the Ghana News Agency. He disclosed that in the first three quarters of 2023, the region saw 4,618 new HIV cases. This represented a concerning 2.1% rise from the previous year. HIV testing in Ashanti occurs through two main programs. One focuses on preventing mother-to-child transmission, targeting pregnant women. The other offers general testing for non-pregnant individuals. Under these initiatives, 681 pregnant women and 3,937 others tested HIV-positive. A major challenge, according to Mr. Bandoh, is that men rarely test voluntarily due to reluctance. So...