The growing gloom of AIDS in Ghana

Vice President, Alpha Alit Mahatma, is alarmed at the rate of increase in the incidence of HIV/AIDS in the country. Speaking at the opening session of an Economic Community Of West African States (ECOWAS)? Ministers of Education conference on HIV/AIDS in Accra, Alpha Mahatma described the situation in the country as alarming. He lamented the fact that currently 200 people become infected daily and about 3% of the population aged between 15 and 49 have already been infected with the virus.

Speaking at the conference, organized under the theme 'Mobilizing the education sector in the fight against HIV/AIDS', the Vice President said available statistics indicate that 125 people will die daily by the year 2009 if the rate of HIV/AIDS infection in the country continues at the current trend. Already there are 160,000 children orphaned by AIDS in the country, a 6.3% growth on 2001. The number is likely to rise to 236,000 by the year 2014. About 63% of HIV/AIDS cases recorded in Ghana are females and this has serious social and economic implications on the nation. And with the upsurge of HIV in the country, there has been a rapid rise in Tuberculosis (TB). Last year, 4,328 commercial sex workers in Ghana's capital Accra and the Port City of Tami, representing 75% to 80% were known to be HIV positive, according to the Nationals AIDS Control Programmed (NACP).

Adding its voice to the cry, the Ghana Medical Association (GMA) has advised Pastors and other Church Leaders to encourage prospective couples to accept voluntary HIV/AIDS tests to complement efforts to control the spread of the disease. At an AIDS forum marking the Eastern Regional Celebration of the Annual health week the GMA asked couples to avail themselves of pretest counseling in order that both parties would be able to appreciate the results of the test. It expressed concern about the use of unspecialized instruments to make scars for certain rites especially girls undergoing puberty rites among the Probes. At Cape Coast in the Central region, the Association advised the public to check on the expiry dates of condoms. The World Bank has granted a $5 million loan to the government for the establishment of a support fund for HIV/Aids prevention and control programmers. The Ghana AIDS Response Fund (GARF) is to support ministries; departments, agencies and NGOs involved in the care and support of AIDS patients.

World Vision Ghana has integrated the HOPE initiative as a major programmer in ADP work. A pilot programmer on HIV/AIDS education and prevention has started in several projects in collaboration with Family Health International, an NGO that concentrates on generating behavioral change among Ghanaians. World Vision projects have held peer education and community meetings to sensitize the people on the causes and prevention of the dreadful disease and participated in national programmers.

The picture of over 50,000 AIDS cases in Ghana is gloomy and a national disaster. The cumulative 46,000 of reported cases as of December 2001 are just 40% of the actual number of people affected by the disease. Despite massive education on the use of condoms, the usage is very low, with only 16% of males using condoms and 6% of women using contraceptives. Unfortunately, at this time, 58% of males don't perceive themselves as being at risk, which has serious implications for the nation due to the high risk behavior among the youth.