Ghana institutes policies to reduce new HIV infections

ACCRA, Jan. 16 (Xinhua) -- The Ghana AIDS Commission (GAC) on Tuesday said it had put the right policies and strategies in place to reduce new HIV infections and expand treatment and care services for persons living with HIV (PLHIV).

In a release issued in Accra, the GAC said the Ghanaian government had also prioritized HIV on the national agenda, provided the needed funding and created an enabling environment for the implementation of HIV and AIDS interventions in the country.

To this end, the government has set up a National HIV and AIDS Fund which will ensure sustainable domestic funding for the HIV and AIDS response, said the release.

The assurance comes at a time Ghana recorded an 18 percent rise in new HIV infections in 2016, despite making significant progress in eliminating the AIDS epidemic.

Statistics indicate that new HIV infections declined in children by 46 percent but increased among adults by 49 percent with a record 20,000 new infections in 2016, with 17,000 of them being among adults.

With regard to treatment, 100,000 people were on antiretroviral treatment by the end of last year, which resulted in a 40 percent reduction in AIDS-related deaths.

Further, the 2014 Ghana Demographic and Health Survey revealed that the percentage of women and men with two or more partners increased while condom use decreased during the period.

The Commission urged the public not to panic about reports circulating in the media that Ghana recorded 80 percent rise in new HIV infections, calling on them to take responsibility for self-protection and healthy lifestyles.

"The Commission further urges every Ghanaian to test to know their HIV status and be sure that those who test positive will be placed on life-saving antiretroviral treatment," said the release. Enditem