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A total of 72,429 people in the Ashanti Region are estimated to be living with HIV, the Ghana Aids Commission 2022 report has revealed.
And out of the number, only about 26,000 are currently on Anti-Retroviral, ARV medication at health facilities, leaving a gap of 46,421 who cannot be accounted for in terms of anti-retroviral uptake.
These are people who either do not know their status or have defaulted ARV treatment.
Deputy Ashanti Regional Focal Person for HIV/AIDS, Dennis Bandoh, disclosed that the region also recorded four thousand 618 new cases at the end of the third quarter of 2023, representing a 2.1 per cent increase over last year.
In an interview with the GNA, he said a total of 62,835 pregnant women had been tested under the Prevention of Mother-to-Child Transmission category with 681 testing positive, while 3,937 people tested positive out of 51,940 screened under the HIV testing services category.
According to him, some men are of believe, that once their pregnant wives or partners test negative, then they are automatically negative.
For regional HIV estimates in the report, Greater Accra topped the chart with 85,403, followed by Ashanti Region, 72,429 and Eastern Region with 46,339.
AIDS-related deaths were 9,359, with males being 4,353 and 5,006 females.
The country recorded 16,574 new HIV infections with males being 5,647 and females, being 10,927 and their age group of 0 to 14 years was 2,868 and adults from 15+ were 13,706.
The HIV epidemic remained a challenge, with certain regions and vulnerable populations disproportionately affected.
NKONKONSA.com
