Rising Hiv/Aids Figures In Techiman; A Cause For Concern

The Techiman Holy family Hospital between January and October this year recorded 1,046 HIV cases.
This was revealed by the HIV/AIDS Focal person for the Hospital, Mr. Takyi Acheampong on the occasion of this year’s World AIDS day at Techiman.
In an interview with classic FM, a local radio station, Mr. Takyi Acheampong said out of 3,299 people who visited the hospital to donate blood for their sick friends and relatives, 373 were HIV positive.
Of 2,513 sick people who were tested, 552 tested positive to the deadly virus.
13 out of 263 voluntary blood donors as well as 48 out of 1,033 pregnant women who were tested were positive for HIV.
In an interaction with a cross section of the local population, most of them felt the disease may be prevalent in the area due to the fact that Techiman is a large market Centre which also sees people from other parts of the continent trouping in to do business.
Mr. Acheampong, emphasized the need for caution on the part of the citizenry and urged them to patronize the voluntary counseling and Testing to ascertain their HIV status, adding that the availability of Anti-Retroviral Drugs is a great opportunity for people who have the virus to live a healthier and longer life.
Techiman is a fast growing town with a population of approximately 219,977 and an estimated growth rate of 2.8% per annum.

-Bernard Buachi
Techiman.