The Juaben Municipality recorded the highest rate of HIV infections in the Ashanti Region in 2025, according to the Ghana AIDS Commission’s annual report.

The Commission’s data shows that 2.82% of individuals in the area have contracted the virus, placing Juaben ahead of other districts in the region.

Health officials say the figure reflects both the scale of transmission and the municipality’s role as a testing and treatment hub.

The Municipal AIDS Committee has attributed the high prevalence partly to the Juaben Government Hospital, which has become the primary centre for HIV testing, counselling, and antiretroviral therapy (ART).

In an interview, Focal Person on HIV and AIDS for Juaben Municipality, Abdel Wahab Mohammed, said the hospital functions as both a referral centre and a trusted facility for residents from surrounding districts and other regions who suspect exposure to the virus.

He said the concentration of services is one of the main factors inflating the number of cases recorded.

“Juaben is where people come when they have doubts about their HIV and AIDS status because our hospital provides confidential testing, and for those who test positive, we offer counselling and immediate access to antiretroviral therapy,” Mohammed explained.

"This suggests that the high case numbers are not driven by local infections alone. Instead, it is outsiders who come for testing, which makes the statistics appear higher compared to districts with less centralised testing," he added.

Mohammed said the data should serve as a call to action rather than a cause for alarm.

“We expected these results because we know the gaps on the ground. What matters now is using this information to strengthen outreach and ensure no one is left behind," he said.

He said that given these challenges, he does not expect a decline in cases in the next report. However, the Municipal AIDS Committee is working to ensure the numbers do not exceed those recorded last year.

He pointed to stigma, limited youth-focused outreach, and gaps in early testing as persistent challenges contributing to the spread of the disease within the municipality.

To address this, the Committee is expanding community testing drives, intensifying education in schools and market centres, and working with civil society organisations to reduce stigma.

Meanwhile, residents reacted with dismay to the report’s release, saying the findings had caught them off guard.

Many described a sense of embarrassment within the Juaben community, noting that the publicity has led some to hold back from identifying themselves as being from the area when travelling outside the municipality.

"I was surprised by the report because we’re ashamed. Even when a T-shirt with an inscription ‘Me firi Juaben’ came out during that period, I couldn’t buy one. I was afraid to wear it in other communities because people would point fingers at me," a storekeeper said.

Others also said that the report is a wake-up call for them to stop any activities that could lead them to contract HIV.

"As the health experts have revealed in the report, it’s up to us to advise ourselves. For me, I’ve spread this advice to all my family members. If you’re married, focus on your wife. But if you have random sex, you have to protect yourself, because when you contract HIV, it comes with a lot of stigma and other consequences," Shaibu Salifu, an electrician, stated.

Another resident added that "I wasn’t surprised by the report because other people come here for testing, counselling, and antiretroviral therapy (ART). The only thing left is to educate the public."

The Ghana AIDS Commission has urged district assemblies, traditional authorities, and private sector partners to scale up support for prevention and treatment programmes.