Ghana is experiencing an average of 50 new HIV infections daily, with the majority of cases occurring among individuals aged 15 to 49, according to the Ghana AIDS Commission.
This economically active population group represents a significant portion of new infections. The commission released these figures during the unveiling of the 2023 national and sub-national HIV and AIDS estimates and projections.
The data also revealed that out of the 334,095 people living with HIV/AIDS in the country, 17,550 were children below the age of 15. Additionally, there were 17,774 new HIV infections, with 1,698 being children below 15 years and 16,076 representing adults above 15 years.
While there has been a decline in new infections, AIDS deaths, and HIV prevalence, the progress is not sufficient to meet the set goals and targets.
During a media engagement to disseminate the results and discuss their implications, the Director-General of the Ghana AIDS Commission, Dr. Kyeremeh Atuahene, emphasized the need for more efforts to achieve the expected targets.
The forum, attended by media professionals and stakeholders in the HIV response sector, highlighted regional and district-level variations in prevalence and new infections, with Greater Accra, Ashanti, and Eastern regions recording the highest numbers of persons living with HIV.
Challenges identified by the commission include data capture, validation, and quality issues, which need to be addressed urgently. Dr. Atuahene acknowledged the concern over continued mother-to-child transmission, attributing it to gaps in the healthcare system and calling for collective efforts to address the issue.
Stakeholders were urged to work together to achieve the 95-95 targets by the end of 2025 and 98-98 by the end of 2030.
The commission acknowledged the support of stakeholders, including the National AIDS and STI Control Programme, Ghana Health Service, UNAIDS, World Health Organisation, and the US President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), in generating the data.
UNAIDS Country Director Hector Sucilla Perez emphasized the importance of understanding the epidemic and using data for action to end AIDS as a public health threat by 2030.
Ms. Perez highlighted the critical role of the media in advocating for the needs of persons living with HIV and improving societal enablers to create an enabling environment.
The Country Director of the US Centre for Disease Control (CDC), Tony Ao, commended Ghana’s efforts in the fight against HIV/AIDS and its progress towards achieving high-quality data to guide the national response.
He encouraged stakeholders to use the data judiciously, with technical guidance from experts, to ensure meaningful interpretation and application.
The CDC reiterated its commitment to supporting Ghana’s national AIDS response and praised the country’s progress towards ending AIDS as a public health threat by 2030.