‘HIV prevalence high in Wenchi Municipality’

The HIV prevalence in the Wenchi Municipality in Brong-Ahafo Region continues to rise, Mr Emmanuel Obeng-Hinneh, Regional HIV/AIDS Focal Person said on Friday.

According to the 2013 HIV/AIDS sentinel report, the Wenchi sentinel site recorded a high prevalence of 3.8 per cent, he said at a strategic information dissemination forum on HIV/AIDS at Abesim, near Sunyani.

It was organized by the Ghana AIDS Commission to create a platform for stakeholders to deliberate and find lasting solutions to pertinent issues leading to the spread of the disease.

Mr Obeng-Hinneh said preliminary investigations showed that the disease was high in the municipality, because migrants who are long distant drivers and travelers make stopovers in Wenchi and their sexual activities had been identified as a contributory factor.

He explained that because there was no major clinic or hospital along the Bamboi stretch to the Upper West, most people outside the municipality seek healthcare in Wenchi.

Mr Obeng expressed concern about early and high rate of unprotected sex among adolescents due to the low economic activities.

He said free testing and counseling on HIV/AIDS, as well as public education on the distribution and use of condoms ought to be intensified in the municipality to minimize the spread of the disease.