In light of an increase in HIV infections, the Ghana AIDS Commission has raised concern about the poor condom use among sexually active individuals.
The Commission claims that since most gay men and women do not use condoms, homosexual activity is a factor in the rising number of HIV cases.
As disclosed by the Commission, in 2023, Ghana reported 17,000 new cases of HIV infection and 12,000 fatalities associated with the virus.
Dr. Stephen Ayisi Addo, the National AIDS Control Programme’s programmes manager, stated in an interview with JoyNews that homosexual sex is one of the factors leading to the rising rate of HIV infections, especially because it is a high-risk behaviour.
According to our most recent surveys conducted this year, 26% of men report having intercourse with other guys. It used to be 18%. The population of transgender people is currently around 4000, however the maximum percentage was 48%.
He made the observation that these groups act as “bridging populations,” allowing bisexual behavior to disseminate HIV to the larger community.
For example, our data indicates that almost 50% of guys who have sex with men are young bisexual individuals. They may be having affairs with males, but they are also having affairs with women, who go on spreading HIV because they have other partners.
Therefore, HIV is a significant problem in Ghana. The transmission has not stopped and we have not yet put an end to it.
According to Dr. Addo, education is necessary regarding the significance of condom use.
According to data from the Ghana Statistical Service, few people use condoms and few people are aware of some preventive education programs. HIV was a significant problem in the past, but today’s youth are unaware of this.
That’s complacency because people believe that photos of extremely ill patients and subpar treatments are no longer seen. But keep in mind that 12,000 deaths from HIV indicate that, regrettably, and silently, people are losing their lives to the virus.
