Ghana records over 15,000 new HIV infections in 2024
By Rebecca Okine
The nation recorded more than 15,000 new HIV infections in 2024, according to the Country Director of UNAIDS Ghana, Héctor Sucilla Pérez.
Speaking at the 13th Annual Scientific Conference of the Ghana Association of Medical Laboratory Scientists (GAMLS) in Accra, Mr Pérez said the country’s progress in reducing new infections between 2021 and 2024 currently stands at 32 per cent, far below the global target of a 90 per cent decline by 2025.
He revealed that one in every four new infections involved young people, a situation he linked to social and economic vulnerabilities, gender inequalities, and harmful cultural norms.
Despite these challenges, Mr Pérez noted that prevention of mother-to-child transmission services had achieved 99 per cent coverage, protecting thousands of babies from infection each year.
Ghana’s HIV prevalence now stands at 1.5 per cent, down from 2.5 per cent two decades ago.
“Science alone is not enough. We need a cultural shift led by young people towards positive, healthy, and safe behaviours,” he said, while highlighting Ghana’s adoption of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) for individuals at substantial risk.
The conference, held in collaboration with the University of Ghana Medical Laboratory Science Students’ Association (UG-MELSSA), was themed “Breaking the Silence, Building Hope, Empowering Communities to Take Action Against HIV/AIDS.”
It focused on advancing Sustainable Development Goal Three, which aims to ensure good health and well-being.
President of the Ghana HIV/AIDS Network, Ernest Amoabeng Ortsin, used the occasion to call on government to activate the National HIV and AIDS Fund to intensify nationwide campaigns.
He said that since the early 2000s, campaigns had been heavily supported by the Global Fund, but resources were later redirected towards the purchase of antiretroviral drugs, leaving a gap in public education.
“We hear of cases of increased transactional sex in the form of hookups, and that’s because this generation has very little knowledge about the disease,” Mr Ortsin noted.
He further identified stigma and discrimination as major setbacks, revealing that some HIV-positive mothers failed to give their children prescribed medication due to fear of stigma, leading to child infections and preventable deaths.
Dr Gloria Amegatcher, Public Relations Officer of GAMLS, stressed the need to eliminate stigma against persons living with HIV/AIDS.
She urged laboratory science students to use their knowledge and networks to simplify HIV science into language their peers could understand, thereby driving awareness among young people.
