Volta Regional Health Directorate denies HIV outbreak at Ho Technical University
The Volta Regional Health Directorate, under the Ghana Health Service, has refuted claims circulating on social media about an alleged HIV/AIDS outbreak at Ho Technical University.
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Initial reports, originating from a blog, alleged that more than 400 students had tested positive for the virus and were instructed to leave the university. The unverified report quickly spread among social media users who quoted and shared it without conducting proper fact-checking.
However, the Regional Health Directorate has categorically dismissed the publication as false and without foundation, urging the public to disregard the information.
Following a thorough examination of HIV testing data from healthcare facilities in the Ho Municipality and the wider Volta Region, the Volta Regional Health Directorate found no indication of a rise in reported HIV cases at any facility or across the entire region.
The health authority emphasized that there had been no notable increase in HIV cases at Ho Technical University or any other tertiary institution in the Volta Region.
Meanwhile, the management of the university has warned that it "shall institute legal action against any persons sharing the said false publication".
Press Release: All Media Houses
— Ghana Health Service-Volta (@HealthVolta) June 5, 2023
FALSE REPORTAGE ON THE HIV INCIDENCE IN THE HO TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY. @Citi973 @Joy997FM @tv3_ghana @TheGhanaWeb @GHOneTV @global1051fm @ho925fm @Tosh1039fm @_GHSofficial pic.twitter.com/LwZMUQIG8q
HIV rate in region
About 20,949 persons in the Volta Region are living with HIV, according to the 2020 HIV and AIDS estimates.
Approximately 64 per cent of them can be found in the Ho, Hohoe, Ketu South, Ketu North and Kpando municipalities, and the South Dayi District.
Meanwhile, only 11,328 (55 per cent) of the estimated people living with HIV in the region are on life-long antiretroviral treatment.