Ghana is facing significant challenges in its fight against HIV, with new data from the 2023 national and sub-national HIV and AIDS estimates and projections revealing alarming trends.

Last year, 17,774 people were newly infected with HIV, including 6,457 males and 11,317 females.

Breaking down the new infections, youth aged 15 to 24 accounted for 4,869 cases, children under 15 comprised 1,698 cases, adolescents between 10 and 19 contributed 1,520 cases, and adults above 15 years made up 16,076 cases.

The Director-General of the Ghana AIDS Commission, Dr. Kyeremeh Atuahene, shared these statistics during a press conference in Accra on Wednesday, 19 June 2024.

He noted that while there was a 14.8 per cent decrease in new infections between 2013 and 2023, the country did not meet its annual target of a 17 per cent reduction in new HIV infections.

“The data indicates that Ghana has not been able to achieve its annual target of a 17 per cent reduction in new HIV infections in the last ten years,” Dr. Atuahene stated.

Looking forward, Ghana is projected to achieve a 41 per cent decrease in new HIV infections between 2023 and 2030. However, the current situation remains dire.

The projections for 2023 showed that 334,095 people in Ghana were living with HIV, including 115,891 males and 218,204 females.

Further analysis of the 2023 figures reveals that 17,550 children under 14, 16,381 adolescents between 10 and 19, 33,245 young adults between 15 and 24, and 316,545 adults aged 15 and up were living with HIV.

The data also indicated that the HIV population increased by 9per cent between 2013 and 2023 and is expected to rise by 6.8per cent by 2030.

Dr. Atuahene emphasised the urgency of intensifying efforts to combat HIV in Ghana, highlighting the critical need to meet future targets to control the epidemic.

“We must continue and enhance our efforts to address the HIV crisis in Ghana. Achieving our future targets is crucial for curbing the epidemic and ensuring the health and well-being of our population,” he added.