Health authorities in the Bono Region are calling for intensified action as new data shows nearly 20,000 people are living with HIV. According to the Ghana AIDS Commission’s regional technical coordinator, Ahmed Ibrahim Bambila, a total of 19,979 residents are currently affected.

Bambila highlighted several factors driving transmission, including low condom use, multiple sexual partners, stigma, limited education, population mobility, transactional sex, and inadequate access to health services.

Projections for 2024 put the region’s HIV prevalence at 2.22%—well above the national average. With 875 new infections recently recorded, the Commission is urging a stronger, coordinated response to address the underlying social and health-related causes fueling the rise.