The recent reduction in HIV infections and teenage pregnancy could be linked to the introduction of the Free Senior High School policy which has increased the rate of enrolment for girls in the country, the director general of the Ghana Aids Commission, Dr Kyeremeh Atuahene, has said.
Ghana registered 16,574 new HIV infections in 2022 as opposed to 16,938 in 2021, the Ghana Aids Commission has disclosed. The figure represents a 2% reduction in the rate of new infections.
Speaking on the Asaase Breakfast Show on Thursday (1 February), Atuahene said increased enrolment of girls in school has reduced teenage pregnancies by 50%.
“We know that when girls stay in school up to secondary school level, it helps to bring the number of pregnancies down. And that is a sign that we are seeing in relation to the introduction of the Free SHS, which has increased the … enrolment of girls in secondary schools.
“The trends have a strong link to the Free SHS policy.
“We also know that when girls remain in schools up to secondary school level, that alone is protective, so far as HIV infection is concerned. That alone reduces infection among these girls by as much as 50%,” Dr Atuahene said.
Listen to Dr Kyeremeh Atuahene in the audio clip attached below:
Reporting by Fred Dzakpata in Accra
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