STIs / STDs in Ghana: Prevalence, Challenges, and Legal Duty of Disclosure

What are STIs / STDs?
STI stands for Sexually Transmitted Infection; STD for Sexually Transmitted Disease. The term STI is often preferred because many infections do not lead to disease (symptoms), but can still be transmitted.

Common STIs include HIV, syphilis, gonorrhea, Chlamydia, trichomoniasis, hepatitis B, herpes simplex virus, HPV, etc.-

Prevalence & Public Health in Ghana
In Ghana, STIs remain a significant public health problem. Studies show that STIs (other than HIV) are fairly common among sexually active men: about 6.0% self-reported in a 12‑month period in one large study.

Among people seeking care in southern Ghana health facilities, the overall prevalence of certain STIs (gonorrhea, Chlamydia, syphilis) was found to be nearly 25% in a study population.

There are also gaps in knowledge: while awareness of HIV and some of the more well-known STIs is good, many adolescents and early youth have limited understanding of other infections (e.g. Chlamydia, genital warts, etc.).

Ghana’s National Policies and STI Control

Ghana has a National HIV/AIDS & STI Policy that seeks to reduce incidence and prevalence of HIV and other STIs. The policy includes education, screening, treatment guidelines, etc.

Public awareness campaigns, sexual education in schools, and access to treatment are key components. Challenges include stigma, low health literacy, cultural norms, sometimes and cost or access barriers to screening/treatment.

The Question of Legal / Ethical Obligation to Notify Sexual Partners

What is known / reported
The Domestic Violence and Victim Support Unit (DOVVSU) director (Eastern Region) has been reported saying that “failure to disclose STI status before sex is a crime”. Specifically she said that under Ghana law, Section 1, Subsection B, and then Subsection II, of the Gender Domestic Violence Act, engaging in sexual contact when one knows one has HIV or any other sexually transmitted disease, without giving prior information of the infection to the partner, is sexual abuse and punishable.

However, it is not entirely clear from available public documents how often this has been prosecuted, or how the law is interpreted in specific cases. There is often more clarity in HIV‑transmission law than for other STIs.

Specific Laws & Policies
Gender Based Violence Law: The reference is that the Ghanaian Gender Domestic Violence Act includes sexual abuse, which covers a person aware of being infected with HIV or any other STI, who has sexual contact without informing the partner.

HIV and AIDS Law / Policy: There are laws/policies that criminalize willful transmission of HIV in certain contexts. But laws are often more specific for HIV than for all STIs.

Public Health / Ministry of Health / Ghana Health Service policies encourage partner notification in clinical / STI‑control settings. Partner notification is an important strategy in STI control (to prevent reinfection, reduce spread).

Legal Gaps and Ambiguities
Although DOVVSU has publicly stated that failing to disclose STI status can be crime under the Domestic Violence Act, it isn’t entirely clear how the law defines “any other sexually transmitted disease” in terms of burden of proof, medical test confirmation, or what the penalties are.

Some diseases may not have been included explicitly in older laws; there may be a difference in how serious versus less serious infections are treated under the law.

Also, enforcement may be weak. Stigma, privacy concerns, and difficulties in proving knowledge of infection may complicate litigation.

Ethical, Practical and Public Health Considerations

Ethics: Many medical ethics frameworks (and public health guidelines) hold that when a person has a communicable STI, they should inform sexual partner(s), to prevent harm. Doctors encourage disclosure and/or facilitate partner notification (with consent).

Public health benefit: Notifying partners helps reduce onward transmission, allows treatment, and reduces reinfections.

Risks: Stigma, fear of violence or abandonment, breach of confidentiality. The law or policies may need to balance the duty to protect partners with the rights of infected individuals.

Summary & Recommendations
Yes, there is legal basis in Ghana (notably via the Domestic Violence Act) that failing to inform a partner about one’s STI (including HIV) may constitute a criminal offence under sexual abuse.

However the extent to which this covers all STIs, and how the law is enforced, is less clear. Many STIs may not be in common public awareness, so people may not realize the requirement.

Better education is needed so people understand both their legal and ethical duty. Health services should support disclosure / partner notification in safe ways. There might be a need to clarify the law, ensure that people are aware of its content, and provide protections for those who disclose (so they are not abused or ostracized), and ensure that enforcement is fair and based on medical evidence.

Mustapha Bature Sallama
Medical/ Science communicator
International Conflict Management and Peace Building

Alumni Gandhi Global Academy
United State Institute of Peace USIP