Over 900 persons died of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) from January to June 2021 more than Covid-19 within the same period, Dr Stephen Ayisi Addo, Programmes Manager, National AIDS/STI Control Programme has revealed.
Annually, it is estimated that about 13,000 people die from HIV in the country, and since the first recorded case of HIV in 1986, there are currently 346,120 people living with HIV as of the end of 2020.
Dr Ayisi Addo stated at the seventh edition of the Stakeholder Engagement and Worker Appreciation Seminar” organised by the Tema Regional Office of the Ghana News Agency.
The GNA Tema Stakeholder Engagement is a platform rolled-out for state and non-state actors to address national issues and serves as a motivational mechanism to recognize the editorial contribution of reporters towards national development in general and growth and promotion of the Tema GNA as the industrial news hub.
Dr Ayisi Addo, said: “It is worse than Covid-19, but because the face of HIV has changed, we don’t see people who are mostly emaciated, so there is an assumption that HIV is no more.”
According to him, the 2020 HIV Estimates and Projections report by the Ghana AIDS Commission, revealed that some 5,200 new infections of HIV were recorded in children and adolescents out of a total population of about 19,000 in 2020 with 82 per cent being females.
He said new cases of HIV were also being recorded amongst persons 15-19 years, which meant that new infections were appearing in the younger age group, revealing that there was some interaction between younger people and older persons in terms of sexual engagements.
He said his outfit had observed that persons who were cohabiting had the highest prevalence of 3.5 per cent, while singles accounted for 3.1 per cent and married people 2.5 per cent.
The figure, he said, showed that being single had a high risk compared to cohabiting, though with a relatively lower prevalence because of its casual nature and coupled with the fact that people had multiple sexual partners making their risks of HIV infection even higher.
Dr. Ayisi Addo noted that the younger people continued to have some risk of HIV transmission despite the fact their prevalence compared to age 15-24 with a 1.1 percent prevalence, was lower than very old people with a prevalence rate of seven percent.
Also, he revealed that there was a surge in cases of HIV among pregnant women in the country attributable to the increased confidence in fertility among persons living with HIV.
According to him, Data analysis in the 2020 Sentinel Survey conducted showed that women who had been pregnant more than once had a higher prevalence compared to first pregnancies partly because of their confidence that they could have healthy babies.
The study, he said, further showed that among general Antenatal Care (ANC) clients, prevalence was two percent and among those with Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) such chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis among others was 10 per cent in 2020.
As a remedy to the increasing number of cases and accompanying deaths, he said: “The HIV prevention message has reduced a little and there’s need to reactivate it with enhanced education at all levels.”
He added that “it was becoming more subtle and dangerous because of the availability and usage of antiretroviral and indicated that because of stigma, some women preferred to be silent about their status, and even when they divulged it, it seemed unbelievable resulting in the increasing number of cases”.
We Will Love You To Join Our Over 170k Members Instagram Family With Just One Click @gharticles
Mara, a pan-African company that offers an ever-expanding suite of crypto products, has announced the pre-launch of the Mara Wallet, a portal to the cryptoeconomy focused on helping people begin their journey towards conveniently managing their crypto-finance needs, take a major step toward financial freedom, and learn more about cryptocurrency and blockchain in Africa.
The Mara Wallet is a fast and secure multi-currency crypto wallet that gives Africans control over their cryptocurrency. Offering both user-facing products and core infrastructure, Mara reveals a product roadmap that enables users to easily buy, sell, send, withdraw, store, and protect a wide range of fiat and crypto-assets (such as cryptocurrencies and NFTs) in real time and without any prior crypto knowledge.
“At Mara, we are committed to the financial empowerment of the individuals that use our products and services to meet their various crypto-finance needs, and take responsibility in building an informed community seriously,” Chi Nnadi, Co-Founder and CEO at Mara, said while commenting on the pre-launch of the Mara Wallet. “As one of our first steps to achieve crypto education, financial literacy, and ensuring a more equitable distribution of capital, we are delighted to pre-launch the Mara Wallet. Our goal is to get Sub-Saharan individuals started on their journey to leverage a financial infrastructure that they can build their lives upon and make the most of the financial-growth opportunities available in the cryptoeconomy.”
The Mara Wallet waitlist, which is the core mechanic of the pre-launch app, is aimed at crypto-curious and crypto-enthusiast users alike who seek early access to the exchange. Through it they will unlock financial rewards that give users the perfect jumpstart into the #cryptoeconomy.
While describing how the Mara Wallet waitlist works, Chi added, “Pre-registered users will join a queue to enable early access on a first-come, first-served basis. Moreover, a higher position on the waitlist increases the odds of periodically winning prizes. As soon as users join the waitlist, they instantly earn a signup reward. All users who refer the Mara Wallet to their friends, family and community also earn further rewards when those users sign up using their unique referral link. Pre-registered users who participate in the referral activity also improve their chances of moving to top positions on the waitlist.”
The Mara Wallet app is available on the Google Play and Apple App stores. Once formally launched in a few months, the Mara Wallet will enable users to invest in crypto and send money to their family members in real time without processing times, delays, or high fees. To join the waitlist, download the app on the Google Play or theApple App Store.
The Mara Wallet pre-launch comes at a critical inflection point in the evolution of Sub-Saharan Africa. The current centralised financial system continues to present ongoing obstacles to the development of both local economies and individuals. As a result, food prices have doubled or even tripled in some areas and created record-breaking interest rates. These systems have prompted a dire need for a decentralised alternative.
Mara’s mission is to facilitate a more equitable distribution of capital by providing an alternative that spans across tribes, class, cultures, and countries.
Are you ready to begin writing your crypto story? Mara Wallet is available to download from the Google Play and Apple App Stores now!
About Mara
Mara is building Africa’s portal to the cryptoeconomy through a Pan-African suite of products that addresses a variety of crypto-finance needs while complying with local regulations and being authentically built for the African audience. Mara will initially launch in Kenya and Nigeria, with its first product being a simplified user-friendly Wallet through which users can easily buy, sell, send, and withdraw cryptocurrencies. Mara will also launch a pro exchange for experienced users who prefer a full set of trading options and technical analysis tools. The Mara Chain will launch later, granting savvy developers a place to build decentralised applications that will help shape the future of the African cryptoeconomy. Mara’s executive team includes former executives from Amazon, PayPal, Uber, NVIDIA, Founders Bank, Rappi, and more. The company raised a total of $23M from Coinbase Ventures, Alameda Research (FTX), Distributed Global, TQ Ventures, Day One Ventures, DIGITAL, Nexo, KuCoin Ventures, Huobi Ventures and nearly 100 other crypto investors and angels. The Mara executive team is led by Chi Nnadi, Lucas Llinás Múnera, Dearg OBartuin, Kate Kallot, and Susan Younis.
Ghanaian self-acclaimed pastor , Apostle Vinny Max Bani , Popularly known as AVMB has allegedly dissolved his church after stories of manipulation and exploitation of church members went viral .
His church, Christ Symbolic Union known popularly as DECAM is on the top of Twitter trends as former members share their experience in his ministry. According to reports , his church has been in operation for over 3 years .
The self acclaimed pastor has according to reports , deleted every information that can be used as evidence against him and has allegedly dissolved the ministry and dissociated himself from it .
It has been 50 years since Ghana’s first President, Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah, passed away.
Kwame Nkrumah died on April 27, 1972, while battling cancer. Dr Nkrumah was 62 years old when he passed away.
His last breath was not in the country he fought to help attain independence from British colonial rule. Kwame Nkrumah died in Bucharest, Romania.
Dr Nkrumah was overthrown by a coup led by Col. Emmanuel Kwasi Kotoka on February 24, 1966. He was out of the country when his administration was sent to oblivion.