According to the Ghana AIDS Commission, 19,931 new cases of the sexually transmitted viral infection (HIV) were recorded in the years 2018.
This number is a surge, as it tramps efforts by the Commission to reduce new HIV infections by 20% each year.
In a statement released to the general public ahead of World AIDS day which will be celebrated on December 1, 2019, the commission said, “Of this number, 16,614 were adults aged 15-49 years while 3,317 were children (0-14years),” the statement said.
According to the Ghana AIDS Commission the 334,717 people living with the virus in Ghana, might have contracted it through “the major causes of HIV infection,(which) include risky sexual behaviours such as unprotected sex in multiple-concurrent and casual sexual relationships, sexually transmitted infections, use of unsterilized sharp instruments and mother to child transmission (MTCT) which occurs during pregnancy, delivery, or breastfeeding.”
