New HIV infections recorded in Ghana have declined from the 18,036 recorded in 2021 to about 16,574 in 2022.
This is a difference of 1,463, which represents a rate decline of about 8.45%.
Of this number, females are about double the number of males, with around 10, 927 women testing positive while males account for about 5,647 of new cases.
New infections recorded among children between ages zero and 14 years stood at 2,868 for the year under review, while about 1,791 adolescents between 10 and 19 got infected.
Meanwhile 4,610 young adults between, 15 and 24 years contracted the virus.
This data is contained in the National and Sub-national HIV Estimates and Projections 2022 Report, which was unveiled by the Ghana Aids Commission yesterday.
354,927 people currently living with HIV
According to the report, an estimated 354,927 people are currently living with the Human Immune Virus (HIV) in Ghana.
This number is made up of 115, 235 men, 239,692 women and 24,712 children between zero and 14 years old.
This number is up from the 350,151 persons living with HIV which was recorded in the country in 2021.
Adolescents between 10 and 19 who contracted the virus in 2022, numbered about 21,439, while young adults between 15 and 24 years numbered around 40,497.
AIDS related deaths
Deaths recorded due to Acquired Immune Deficiency (AIDs) in Ghana stood at around 9,359 for the year 2022.
In this set, some 5,006 women died as a result of HIV related complications, as against 4,353 males.
Deaths among children aged zero to 14 was around 2,180 in 2022.
AIDS Orphans
Some 230, 317 people were orphaned due to AIDS.
Viral Suppression
According to the Ghana AIDS Commission data, about 100,753 people in Ghana were tested for viral suppression.
It was found that about 68,600 people living with HIV locally have suppressed viral loads, meaning that their chances of spreading the diseases around are extremely low.
Mothers Needing PMTCT Treatment
Mothers who need treatment under the Preventing Mother to Child Transmission (PMTCT) programme, which is a programme to ensure that HIV positive mothers do not transmit the virus to their infants, number about 16,629, while the number of mothers actually receiving care under the programme, numbered about 14,106.
New HIV Infections to rise by 2030
Although the number of infected persons in the country is expected to rise to around 370,000 by 2030, new infections in the country will fall to below 10, 000, while AIDS-related deaths will fall just below 5,000.
Antiretroviral Coverage
About 64.1% of HIV positive persons in Ghana are currently receiving antiretroviral treatment. This is up from 57% coverage that was recorded in 2021.
13,539 deaths averted due to Antiretroviral treatment
It was also found that about 13,539 deaths had been prevented in 2022 due to the administration of antiretroviral drugs to persons living with HIV. This number is up from the 12, 206 recorded in 2021, and is expected to rise in coming years.
