A Monitoring and Evaluation Officer of the National AIDS Control Programme, Reverend Kenneth Ayeh Danso has urged men to check their HIV status for early treatment and prevention.
According to him, while women are more likely to visit health clinics at the slightest indication of illness, men tend to avoid health centres till their situation deteriorates.
This he said has led to most men, reporting to health centres across the country with advanced stages of the HIV/AIDS disease, thus thwarting efforts to manage the spread and mortality rate of the virus.
He was speaking at the Ghana HIV and AIDS Network workshop on Epidemic Control, Thursday, at the Mensvic Grand Hotel, Accra on the theme: Rethinking HIV Interventions for Vulnerable Populations in the Country.
He noted that this phenomenon is reflected in statistics concerning HIV treatment.
“As at the end of June 2022, we have 262,042 persons on Anti-Retroviral Therapy. This is made up of 5% children and 75% are females,” indicating only 20% of men were on HIV treatment.
This he said has contributed to the high prevalence of the virus among male populations and has thus advised men to get tested to know their status.
A total of 23,495 people in Ghana have tested positive for HIV in the first half of this year (January to June).
The figure is two percent of the 948,094 people who undertook HIV testing from January to June 2022.
According to the NACP, most of the 23,495 people who tested positive had since been put on HIV treatment.
The figures have been attributed to complacency and ignorance on the risk of the virus and a general lack of awareness among the general population.
The workshop organized by GHANET with support from PEPFAR, USAID, EpiC and Civil Society Institute for HIV and Health is part of measures to engage CSOs, media and opinion leaders and state actors to get involved in the awareness creation and fight against HIV/AIDS.
