Bolgatanga Municipal Assembly to collaborate with Ghana Health Service to fight HIV/AIDS

The Bolgatanga Municipal Chief Executive (MCE), Mr Roland Atanga Ayoo, had described HIV/AIDS as a serious matter in the municipality.

To this end, he has stated that the Assembly will continue to collaborate with the Ghana Health Service to fight this menace by offering financial and other forms of assistance.

He said this when he addressed the public in Bolgatanga, where special radio jingles on the HIV/AIDS Awareness campaign were launched.

This forms part of the strategies the Assembly and the Municipal Health Directorate have adopted to cut down the rising numbers in HIV infections in the area.

The MCE advised the youth to desist from the attitude of chasing extravagant lifestyles, which he said mostly emanates from peer pressure.

He said such lifestyles expose them to various risks such as catching the virus, as some of them are tempted to trade sex for money with multiple men.

Mr Ayoo also commended those who voluntarily opted to test for their HIV status, saying those who know their position on the virus know the direction to go.

He added that testing positive is not the end of one's life because there are drugs for such people to take to live longer.

In his remarks, Bolgatanga Municipal Health Director, Alhaji Alhassan Lawal, revealed that available records show a rising trend in HIV infections in the area.

He disclosed that 157 new cases have already been registered in the first half of 2026, saying this figure is comparatively higher than that of 2025: 155.

The Health Director said the municipality remains a hotspot of HIV/AIDS in the region, a situation he attributed to its cosmopolitan nature.

He also blamed the rise in HIV Infections on low public sensitisation campaigns.

Alhaji Lawal therefore appealed to all stakeholders, including the Bolgatanga Municipal Assembly, the media and health sector Non-governmental Organisations (NGOs) to step up their game on public awareness campaigns on HIV/AIDS.

He used the opportunity to encourage the people to cultivate the habit of voluntary testing since the symptoms of the virus take time to show.

He added that those who might have tested positive will have the chance of living long since they can seek treatment to prevent the progression of the virus in their body.

Alhaji Lawal also advised the youth against rampant use of emergency contraceptives, which only prevent pregnancies but not HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases.

Instead, he recommended the use of condoms, which he said play the dual role of preventing pregnancy and Sexually Transmitted Diseases, including HIV/AIDs.

The Health Director also commended the Assembly for assisting the Directorate to launch the awareness campaign, saying he expects more of such collaborations.