The drop in campaign adverts, slogans and songs developed previously to fight against the spread of Human Immunodeficiency Syndrome (HIV/AIDS) has resulted in the surge in the spread of the pandemic, especially among the youth in Ghana.
HIV virus is mostly spread through unprotected sex and due to low publicity in Ghana, the disease seemed to have been eradicated. Silence over the disease as a result of lack of funding, following the withdrawal of support by the Global Fund has provided fertile ground for the spread of the virus.
It came as a shock to many Ghanaians during the recent World HIV/AIDS Day celebration when the Director General of the Ghana Aids Commission, Steve Kyeremeh Atuahene, announced that over 200,000 new cases of infections had been recorded in 2018.
He noted that most of the infections were recorded among the youth and warned that if the youth do not put a stop to what he termed as “risky sexual behaviours” more of them would contract the disease.
According to Atuahene, the 2018 Report indicated that an estimated 335,000 persons are living with the virus, but only 185,000 know their status and that out of that number, more than 50,000 are not on treatment and are therefore spreading the virus.
The Ghana Aids Commissioner stressed the need for the youth to refrain from risky sexual behaviours because the virus has become prevalent among them as the 2018 report established that there were 37, 411 young people living with the virus.
He added that 5,352 of the number were new infections that occurred among young people in which 4,328 were females while 1, 024 were males.
Some Ghanaians are worried that low publicity on the fight against the pandemic, has resulted in the inability of the government to raise funds to intensify sensitization campaigns among the youth to be weary of the dangers associated with the disease.
DAP/GIK/APA