The Ashanti Regional Technical Coordinator for the Ghana AIDS Commission, Olivia Graham, has stated that the rise in HIV cases in the Ashanti region is due to the increasing number of people involved in mining.
The Ghana AIDS Commission, in its recent report 2022, indicated that a total of 72,429 people in the Ashanti Region are said to be living with HIV.
According to the AIDS Commission, only about 26,000 people are currently on anti-retroviral ARV medication at health facilities, leaving a gap of 46,421 who cannot be accounted for in terms of anti-retroviral uptake or know their status.
Speaking exclusively to Nana Yaw Mensah Joel on the Oyerepa Breakfast Show, the Ashanti regional coordinator explained that the rise in HIV/AIDS can largely be attributed to those involved in mining activities and sex workers, better known as Ashawo.
saying that these people who are best known as migrant workers tend to spread the virus easily because they might end up having an affair with ladies and even guys around where they may be working.
“Mining, particularly in the Ashanti region, has become a major contributing factor in the rise in HIV/AIDS cases in the country,” he said.
Adding to that, there are thousands of people who either do not know their status or have defaulted on ARV treatment, which poses a threat to the health and security of the country.
She therefore called on the general public not to be afraid and go to the hospital to at least have a check or self-check to know their HIV status.
Source: oyerepafmonline.com/Nana Freduah Agyemang Derrick
