The Volta and Oti Regional Technical Coordinator of the Ghana AIDS Commission (GAC), Mrs Mary Naa Asheley Anyomi, has called on the youth to be mindful of their sexual behaviours in order not to contract HIV, the virus that causes AIDS.
Mrs Anyomi said the youth are the most vulnerable to the HIV virus, therefore there was the need for them to adhere strictly to medical advice on the preventive measures, and available treatment for those who had already contracted the virus.
Mrs Anyomi made the call at the Volta Regional Police Training School, where she educated Community Protection Assistants (CPAs) under training to take their sexual life more seriously so as to avoid contracting the virus.
She announced that out of the total number of 334,721 People Living With HIV (PLWH) in the country, the Volta region is 7th on the league table with 19,078, representing 5.7 per cent of the national figure.
The Technical Coordinator explained that males between the ages of 15 and above constituted 4,999 while their female counterparts between the same age also constituted 12,881, and children between zero and 14 years were also 1,198 were living with HIV in the Volta Region.
Mrs Anyomi further explained that in the adult HIV prevalent age group up to 49 years, the Volta region held the 8th position with a prevalence of 1.58 per cent.
She attributed the situation to lack of effective treatment of PLWH in the region, and low condom usage among the youth, especially adolescent girls and young women.
According to her, lack of adequate resources for the Commission to be effective, made public education activities ineffective, making it difficult to reach out to their target audience, which called for adequate resources to carry out regular education activities.
A Senior Staff Nurse at the Ghana Health Service (GHS) in Ho, Ms Rita Seyram Dey, said in order to prevent the infection of HIV virus, the various media platforms must be used to disseminate relevant information to adequately inform the youth about how to protect themselves against the HIV virus.
Ms Dey advised the youth to develop interest in knowing their HIV status by voluntarily testing for HIV to enable them to lead more responsible lives and also urged those living with HIV to take their medications regularly.
The Officer Commanding the Volta Region Police Training School, Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP), Mr William Yankey Acolatse, stressed the need for the trainees to take the education more seriously to enable them to stay safe in their respective communities of operation.
FROM SAMUEL AGBEWODE, HO
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