By Hebrews Pouyeli Kumako
Volta Region is recording steady gains in Ghana’s fight against HIV and AIDS as the country works toward achieving the UNAIDS 95-95-95 targets by 2030, the Ghana AIDS Commission has announced.
Under the global framework, countries are expected to ensure that 95 percent of people living with HIV know their status, 95 percent of those diagnosed are placed on treatment, and 95 percent of those on treatment achieve viral suppression.
According to the 2024 National HIV Estimates, the Volta Region ranks eighth out of Ghana’s sixteen regions, with an HIV prevalence rate of 1.58 percent among adults aged 15 to 49 — translating to about two in every hundred adults living with HIV.
The Volta Regional Technical Coordinator of the Ghana AIDS Commission, Mary Naa Ashley Anyomi, said the data guides targeted interventions, especially amid limited resources.
“Because we cannot implement programmes everywhere at once, we prioritise high-burden areas to maximise impact,” she explained.
While prevalence remains relatively low among the general population, the burden is significantly higher among key populations, with female sex workers recording 4.3 percent prevalence, and men who have sex with men at 29 percent.
Ms Anyomi said these figures justify focused programming to curb new infections.
In 2024, the region recorded 809 new HIV infections, representing about five percent of national cases, with women accounting for 67 percent of all people living with HIV in the region.
Districts including Ho, Hohoe, Ketu South, and the North and South Tongu areas contribute the highest number of cases.
Despite good viral suppression levels among those on treatment, antiretroviral therapy (ART) coverage remains below 60 percent in most districts, far short of the 95 percent target.
Health authorities say expanding treatment access and testing services remains a top priority as the region intensifies efforts to end HIV as a public health threat by 2030.
Source News Volta
