Story thread · 2 reports / 2 sources

HIV stigma discourages testing, prevention and treatment in Ghana – Ghana AIDS Commission

myjoyonline.com · 2hShare

Stigma surrounding HIV is discouraging people from accessing prevention, testing, treatment and support services, the Ghana AIDS Commission (GAC) has warned. The Director-General of the Commission, Dr Kharmacelle Prosper Akanbong, said misconceptions linking HIV infection automatically to promiscuity continue to influence how people living with the virus are treated. Speaking on Konsulting Room 5 on JoyNews, Dr Akanbong said such perceptions were not only unfair but were also undermining efforts to control HIV infections in Ghana. “It is society's perception of how HIV is contracted that makes people begin to look at you as promiscuous. It is that kind of societal perception that you must be a bad person to have HIV,” he said. Dr Akanbong stressed that HIV can be acquired through different routes, including sexual transmission and the sharing of needles or other equipment contaminated with infected blood.

First report: Pharmacists urged to lead HIV prevention, research — punchng.com, 1d