HIV Fast Spreading In Sunyani Municipality

HIV infection is fast spreading in the Sunyani Municipality, Dr. Osei Kuffour Afreh, the Deputy Brong-Ahafo Regional Director of Public Health, has said.

He indicated that the municipality had 4.2 per cent prevalence, being among the highest in the country, and cautioned the public against unprotected sex.

Dr. Afreh was speaking at the opening session of the 14th National Retreat of the Public Health Division of the Ghana Health Service (GHS), which is underway in Sunyani.

The four-day retreat is on the theme: “Accelerated Public Health Intervention, Essential Tools for Sustaining the Development Goals”.

Dr. Afreh said the region also had 2.7 per cent prevalence and called for concerted efforts to help minimise its spread.

He stated that the Regional Health Directorate urgently needed pick-up vehicles for sub-district monitoring and supervision, as well as motor cycles to facilitate service delivery through the Community-based Health Planning Service (CHPS) compounds.

Dr Badu Sarkodie, the Director of Public Health Division of the Ghana Health Service (GHS), said elimination of mother to child transmission of HIV required integrated approach with supervision, coaching and monitoring.

He indicated that non-communicable diseases continued to emerge as high burden disease condition in the country, regretting that low cases of malaria confirmation also remained a huge national challenge.

Dr. Sarkodie said priority must be placed on non-communicable diseases and malaria in terms of disease prevention and control.

Source: GNA