Abstract:
Human Immunodeficiency Virus/ Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome
(HIV/AIDS) pandemic has killed over 14 million people worldwide. Over 36.1 million people are also living with the disease the world over. Sub Saharan Africa has been the hardest hit region in the whole world, with high incidence on women and children. The disease has affected every nation in the world such that, it has drawn international attention. As a result, ideas are being sought and measures being planned to curb its spread. The disease is seen as wiping the gains of development and halting the future development of individuals and nations as a whole. In Ghana, over 430 000 people are living with HIV/AIDS. It has claimed over thousands of lives since its recognition in 1986. Efforts are therefore being made to reduce the spread of the disease in order to reduce its impact. It is in this vein that this study was conducted to find out dimensions of the disease in Sekondi-Takoradi, a vibrant port city in the Western region of Ghana. This study has found that the disease is spreading increasingly among young married couples, followed by divorcees and those who have re-married, and singles with sexual partners. The disease has higher incidence on women and people of lower socio-economic status. The research has also found that the disease is driven in Sekondi-Takoradi by infidelity in marriage, sexual behaviour in terms of pre-marital relations and extra-marital relations as well as multiple sexual partnerships. Also low level and inappropriate application of condom, inadequate knowledge of the disease, stigma, lower socioeconomic status, and mobility both internal and external were found as driving the spread of the disease in the metropolis. These findings would help to initiate appropriate measures like community education to fight the spread of the disease.
