Low Condom Use Among Youth Threatens HIV Fight in Volta Region
The Ghana AIDS Commission (GAC) has expressed concern that low condom use among young people, particularly teenage girls and young women, is making it harder to reduce HIV infections in the Volta Region. Currently, 19,078 people in the region are living with HIV, accounting for about 5.7% of the national total of 334,721, including 4,999 men and 12,881 women aged 15 and above, along with 1,198 children. At the launch of the newly reformed Regional Committee in Ho, Mary Naa Asheley Anyomi, Volta Regional Technical Coordinator for GAC, shared that the overall HIV rate in the general population is 2.1%, but it is higher among female sex workers (4.3%) and men who have sex with men (28.1%). Over the past year, 809 new infections were reported, and access to anti-retroviral treatment across the region’s 18 districts ranges from 38.4% to 61.5%. Mrs. Anyomi explained that most HIV programs rely heavily on donor support and are quite limited, while stigma and discrimination prevent many people from getting tested, seeking treatment, or speaking openly about their status. She encouraged for a more HIV testing initiatives, especially at the community level, along with stronger promotion of condom use and easier access to them. The nine-member Regional Committee, led by Regional Minister James Gunu, brings together representatives from health services, civil society groups, schools, the House of Chiefs, and GAC.
