Only 10 Percent of Ghanaians Know Their HIV Status

The Executive Director of Alliance for Reproductive Health Rights (ARHR), Vicky Okine, has said that only 2.2 million Ghanaians out of the 23 million, representing 10% of the population, are aware of their HIV status. The remaining 90%, she said, are hesitant to know theirs due to the stigma attached to HIV/AIDS.

According to her, stigmatization and discrimination have and continue to undermine the ability of individuals, families and communities to adequately protect themselves and provide support to those affected.

"People living with HIV/AIDS continue to be excluded from decision making and stigma and discrimination remain critical concerns".

Vicky Okine made these statements at the launch of the Fair Play for Africa Campaign, an initiative which, using the World Cup as a rallying opportunity, aims to enable civil society build broad continental and African voice to push for action at national and pan African levels for the achievement of the vision of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs.

Outlining ways to address HIV/AIDS stigma, Vicky Okine was of the view that government can formulate policies, promote programs and make statements aimed at reducing discriminatory practices and ostracizing people living with HIV, at the district, regional and national levels.

A Ghana Aids Commission report indicates that about 50,000 persons who are HIV positive do not go for treatment because of stigmatization.

The HIV pandemic, she noted, has continued to undermine poverty reduction efforts, adding that of a global estimate of 32 million people living with HIV, two-thirds of the number live in sub Saharan African, impacting heavily on already fragile health systems and capacities.

"Infection rates continue to rise regionally, especially for women and girls who account for 61% of people with HIV/AIDS".

"Young girls in Africa between the ages of 15-24 years of age are three times as likely to be infected as young men," she added.

The high prevalence among women, she said, is partly fueled by gender inequality and negative customary practices. Females are unable to negotiate safer sex largely due to lack of assertiveness, making them more vulnerable to HIV/AIDS.

Launching the campaign, the Coordinator of Fair Play for Africa, Mr. Bright Dela Kokroko-Gle, said the objective of the campaign is to use the historic opportunity provided by the first ever World Cup to be hosted on an African soil to unite and mobilize people across Africa to demand the right to universal access to health and HIV services.

He also noted the campaign is to build on and link existing campaigns in 10 countries around health to exert collective pressure on their governments to meet their MDGs on health.

"The campaign seeks to advocate for government's commitment to meet the Abuja target of at least 15% budget allocation for health and secondly to call for a national response to address HIV & AIDS stigma, focusing on women."

Over 22 million people in sub Sahara Africa are living with HIV, but 56% (3700 000) are not accessing the relevant levels of services, care and support required to enable them lead cautious lives.