Axim, Sept. 17, GNA - The HIV prevalence rate at Axim in the Nzema East District has equalled the national figure of 2.9 per cent, the HIV Coordinator at the Axim Government Hospital, Mr Thomas Kwasi Addae, has said.

Speaking with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) at Axim on Thursday, Mr Addae said so far, the hospital had recorded 267 HIV positive cases in the Axim Township alone and described the situation as alarming and worrying.

He advised sexually active persons to undergo Voluntary Counselling and Testing to determine their HIV status so that those affected by the virus could take measures to avoid spreading the virus to innocent people.

Mr Addae said the most common ways people get the virus are through unprotected sex with an infected person, blood transfusion, and sharing of razor blades. He also indicated that an infected mother could transmit the virus to her unborn child but added that drugs could help to prevent the mother-to-child transmission. Mr Addae advised HIV pregnant women to visit ante natal clinics and deliver at a recognized health facilities. 17 Sept. 10