Aba Oppong, Executive Director of Rights and Responsibilities Initiatives Ghana (RRIG), has called for intensified public awareness campaigns on HIV/AIDS to prevent the disease from affecting the country’s productive population.

She said it was important for the Ghana Health Service (GHS), the Ghana AIDS Commission (GAC) and other key stakeholders to strengthen advocacy and public education on factors that contributed to the spread of HIV/AIDS, particularly among the youth.

Speaking in an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in Kumasi, Mrs Oppong said although Ghana had made significant progress in expanding access to HIV testing and treatment, public education on HIV prevention had declined compared to the vigorous nationwide campaigns conducted some years ago.

“We used to hear advertisements on HIV/AIDS everywhere some years ago, but that is no longer the case.

“Some members of the public even think the disease no longer exists because they have not seen anyone living with it.

“Others also believe HIV/AIDS is caused by evil spiritual forces,” she said.

Mrs Oppong said such misconceptions were the result of declining public awareness activities.

She noted that some people also believed HIV/AIDS was no longer a serious public health threat compared to other diseases, a perception she said contributed to its continued spread and placed more young people at risk of infection.

According to her, available estimates continued to indicate that the Ashanti Region, including Kumasi, had a substantial number of people living with HIV.

She, therefore, urged stakeholders to revive the intensive awareness campaigns that were previously undertaken across the country, saying those efforts had yielded significant results.

Mrs Oppong expressed concern that some children as young as 15 years had contracted the disease, describing the situation as worrying.

She said with the widespread use of social media and the proliferation of radio stations, public education on HIV/AIDS should be easier to undertake.

She appealed to educational institutions to strengthen comprehensive health education programmes to equip students with accurate information on HIV prevention.

She also urged parents to educate their children on risky sexual behaviour and emphasised that collective efforts were essential to protecting the youth from HIV/AIDS.

Mrs Oppong identified stigma associated with HIV/AIDS as another factor contributing to the spread of the disease, saying intensified public education would help reduce discrimination against people living with HIV.

“One must not be shy about disclosing his or her HIV status to encourage more people to get tested voluntarily.

“We cannot lower our guards and allow our youth to become infected with the disease.

“We all have a responsibility to help end the spread of HIV by adopting safe sexual practices, getting tested regularly, supporting people living with the virus and rejecting discrimination,” she said.

Mrs Oppong called on Ghanaians to join efforts to reduce new HIV infections and curb the spread of the disease through sustained awareness, responsible behaviour and support for those affected.