The President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has expressed concern over fragrant disregard for HIV prevention and control measures.
He said unhealthy sexual behaviour practices including having multiple sexual partners, reduction in the use of condoms have accounted for the new surge and calling for a change in negative attitude not to derail the gains made in the fight against the pandemic.
“Individuals must be conscious of their sexual behaviour in order to be safe, but as a government every effort would be made to provide the appropriate medications and to achieve the targets set by the United Nations to eradicate the disease,” he added.
President Akufo-Addo said these in an address read on his behalf at a durbar in Accra to commemorate this year’s Worlds AIDS Day which was held on the local theme: “20 Years of a Multi-sectoral HIV response; Accelerating Progress to End AIDS.”
The government, Nana Akufo-Addo assured that government would provide more funding to make condoms and reflexes medicines increasingly available, reducing equalities and stigma and keep persons living with HIV on treatment and also adopt measures to eliminate HIV transmissions.
The President urged civil society including traditional authorities, religious leaders, politicians, business executives, professional bodies, celebrities and the media to unite in the collective denunciation of HIV related stigma and discrimination.
The Director General of the GAC, Dr Kyeremeh Atuahene, in his opening remarks said even though a lot of gains had been made in the fight against the pandemic, new mine openings had been found to be associated with increased risky sexual behaviour.
He said findings had revealed that mining communities were engaging in acts including having multiple sexual partners, unprotected sex with high risk partners that posed great danger to those communities that called for concerted effort to resolve the situation.
The United States Ambassador to Ghana, Ms Virginia Palmer, commended the country for its involvement in the numerous efforts in supporting the world in the fight against the pandemic.
She urged young people to lead the fight against HIV/AIDS in other to prevent the spread because they are the future leaders and also charged persons living with the disease to seek treatment in order to live normal lives.
The Country Director of UNAIDS, Dr Hector Solivia Perez, called for an end to stigmatisation against persons living with the disease.
The event organised by the Ghana AIDS Commission (GAC) sought to mark two decades of coordinating the national response while strategising to attain global targets.
It attracted several dignitaries including members of the Diplomatic Corps, religious leaders, traditional authorities, civil society organisations, political parties and some selected schools.
The day set aside by the United Nations some 40 years ago was to enable member countries reflect on the contributions and commitments to eliminate the pandemic, celebrate successes and devise more effective and sustained means to HIV and AIDS response.
The global theme released by the UNAIDS for this year’s celebration is “Equalise” which calls for action urging every country to address inequalities that are holding progress towards ending AIDS.
LAWRENCE VOMAFA-AKPALU
