Energy Analyst Kwadwo Poku has urged stronger education and sensitisation on HIV/AIDS among young people, warning that poor awareness is contributing to low condom use in the Volta Region.
Speaking on the AM Show on JoyNews on December 15, Mr Poku said many youths today grew up long after the peak of the HIV/AIDS pandemic and therefore do not fully understand the disease.
“We have a generation that is far removed from the AIDS pandemic. They don’t really understand what AIDS is when you talk about it,” he said.
He stressed that basic knowledge about HIV/AIDS among young people cannot be assumed.
“You take it for granted that everybody knows what AIDS is, but if you go around asking the youth the full meaning of AIDS, a lot of them don’t know it, let alone what it actually is,” he added.
Mr Poku noted that sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and diseases (STDs) are highly prevalent among young people and called for the promotion of condom use.
He also raised concerns about cervical cancer, explaining that it is transmitted from males to females and can develop into cancer in women, even though it does not affect men.
“That is why we need to immunise and vaccinate the girl child,” he said, stressing the importance of early intervention.
Mr Poku warned that failure to educate young people aged 16 to 21 could entrench risky behaviours and create serious long-term health challenges.
“If we don’t educate 16- to 21-year-olds, certain habits become entrenched, and it becomes a health issue. That is the next generation of this country,” he said.
He concluded by urging the Ghana AIDS Commission to secure more funding and resources to enable it to carry out sustained education and sensitisation programmes nationwide.
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