Uncontrolled public stigmatization and discrimination of People Living with HIV and AIDS (PLWHAs) are contributing to the rising spread of the virus in the country, Ms. Dzid Enyonam Kwame, Media Specialist for the United States (US) President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) said on Tuesday.
She expressed worry despite intensified public education, many people were reluctant to go for voluntary counseling and testing to know their HIV status because of the fear of societal stigma.
Ms. Enyonam indicated everybody was vulnerable to HIV infection, saying, the contraction was not only through sexual intercourse.
She, therefore, appealed to the general public to desist from stigmatizing PLWHAs to encourage more people to know their status and stem the HIV spread in the country.
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Ms Enyonam speaking at an anti-stigma HIV campaign and health screening exercise held at Hwidiem, a mining town in the Asutifi South District of the Ahafo Region.
PEPFAR, the world’s greatest investor in the Global Fund with the aim at touching lives and achieving epidemic control by 2030, under the auspices of US Embassy organized a campaign to create awareness about the pandemic in the area.
Ms Enyonam explained the first HIV infection was detected in 1986 but there was still no cure for the disease, and advised PLWAs to continue to consistently take their drugs to suppress the viral load and live longer.
She indicated that, once the viral load was suppressed, it would be extremely difficult for him/her to spread the virus, hence, the need for people to know their status and subsequently, put on Anti-retroviral Therapy (ART).
Mr Robert Dwomoh Mensah, the Asutifi South District Chief Executive, regretted public education on HIV and AIDS had gone down drastically, and commended PEPFAR for the campaign.
He advised health workers to ensure the confidentiality of people who tested positive to the virus, were guaranteed to help control public stigma and discrimination.
Mr Mensah called on the Ghana AIDS Commission (GAC) to revive and intensify HIV and AIDS public education on local communities and schools.
The campaign provided the opportunity for residents to check their HIV and Hepatitis status, as well as blood pressure, weight, and sugar levels.
