Kumasi, Jan 22, – The Ghana Aids
Commission (GAC) has profusely denied media reports that there is a sharp rise
in HIV infections in the country.
It said the percentage increase
of between 70.15 and 80 put out by the media, which had triggered a wave of
public anxiety and confusion was incorrect and should be ignored.
The Commission indicated that its
2017 Report was yet to be released and wondered where the figures were coming
from, especially when it did not provide any statistics on the disease at the
briefing it held for journalists on January 10.
This was contained in a statement
issued and signed by the acting Director-General, Dr. Mokowa Blay Adu-Gyamfi.
The Commission also expressed
discomfort with what it said was an error in a report attributed to the Joint
United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) Country Director, Ms. Angela
Trenton-Mbonde, on some social media platforms.
She was wrongly reported to have
said that Ghana recorded 80 per cent increase in the disease infections in year
2016.
The statement said Ms. Trenton-Mbonde
actually talked about 18 per cent and not 80 per cent as quoted.
The Commission added that it
recognized that an 18 per cent rise in infections was relatively high for a low
HIV prevalent country like Ghana.
It said stopping the spread of
the infection had been made a priority on the nation’s development agenda,
citing the setting up a Fund to ensure sustainable domestic funding for the
HIV/AIDS response.
The Commission advised the people
not to panic but to take responsibility for their self-protection and to make
sure that they led healthy lifestyles.
GNA
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