Editorial
Condom use is the solution
More people are testing positive for HIV
Dear Editor,
I saw an opinion piece recently on ‘myjoyonline.com’ titled: “Is condom the solution?” The article, among many things, suggested that access to condom use encourages promiscuity, contributes to decay in societal values.
According to “Papa Osofo”, “to give condoms on campuses and many other social functions is to programme our men to grow to become ‘playboys’, and women to become “desperate housewives” or “desperate emotionally broken corporate/working class women” who are “mad.”
While I appreciate the opinions stated in the article as the writer’s own, it is important to note that opinions such as these are dangerous and detrimental to Ghana’s effort to battle and end the HIV/AIDs pandemic, especially at a time when the country had recorded an increase in new infections.
According to current reports, the country had recorded over 23,000 new infections within six months! Research shows that consistent users of condoms are 10 to 20 times less likely to become infected when exposed to the virus than inconsistent or non-users.
Other studies indicate that current levels of HIV would be five times higher without condom use and that an increase in condom use averts about 117 million HIV infections.
I, therefore, believe discouraging the use of condoms can trigger new infections that could potentially lead to a public health crisis our current health system might not have the capacity to contain.
I am not, in any way, asking people to go on a sexual spree, but it is important to call a spade a spade not a shovel! Sex is a biological need like hunger or thirst for a lot of people, regardless of their religious beliefs.
Whether we like it or not, people will continue to engage in it. While teaching abstinence is good, it does not prevent HIV as people rarely practise abstinence, especially young people.
Ghana must intensify its sexual and reproductive health interventions including public education on condom use, safe sex practices, single partnership, regular HIV/AIDs testing, and abstinence to reduce new infections. It is no longer prudent to look on unconcerned as an avalanche of new infections loom.
Joana Addey,
Teshie-Nungua Estate,
Accra.
Editorial
Parents urged to take responsibility for sex education
Dr. Francis Wuobar, a Gynaecologist at the Eastern Regional Hospital in Koforidua has urged parents to take the lead in providing sex education to their children, stressing that they were in the best position to guide them through the changes of adolescence.
According to him, sex education remained a taboo subject in most Ghanaian homes, a culture that must change to prevent children from seeking misleading information elsewhere.
“With the evolving nature of society and technological advancements, today’s children will either learn about sex on the internet or from their peers, who may offer wrong advice,” he cautioned.
Dr. Wuobar noted that the health system and society often concentrate on the reproductive stage of life, neglecting the adolescent and menopausal phases.
“When a woman reaches the reproductive period and gets pregnant, everyone rallies around her. But before that stage, during adolescence, there is little attention and guidance, which has contributed to the rising cases of teenage pregnancy,” he explained.
He observed that many adolescents lack access to counseling and adolescent clinics, creating a vacuum that forces them to explore on their own.
“The answers they seek, adults and parents are not willing to provide. Their peers, who are equally uninformed, become their only source of advice. This exploration is one of the major contributors to teenage pregnancy,” he said.
Dr. Wuobar therefore called on parents to create open and confidential spaces for discussion, where children can freely ask questions about sex, puberty, and relationships.
He emphasized that parents must help adolescents understand the consequences of unprotected sex, the changes they go through, and what choices were right or wrong.
“Today’s generation is curious and asks questions, unlike in the past when children were silent. Parents should not rebuke them but rather engage them seriously and guide them through this turbulent stage,” he advised.
He further appealed to the health sector to establish more adolescent clinics across the country to give young people safe spaces to seek information and counseling.
That, he said, would help reduce the high incidence of teenage pregnancy and support adolescents in making informed decisions about their sexual health.
From Ama Tekyiwaa Ampadu Agyeman, Koforidua
Editorial
Addressing unhealthy conditions at Akropong Mandela Market
Dear Editor,
The Akropong Mandela Market, a vibrant centre of commerce, has been in a terrible state for over a decade now.
Central to the problem is a public toilet located near the market, which has become a breeding ground for diseases and a source of discomfort for both food vendors and customers.
This toilet, utilised by everyone in the town, is positioned too close to the market, severely affecting the vendors who spend long hours selling their goods.
They are constantly exposed to unsanitary conditions mixed with foul odours emanating from the facility.
Agnes, a vendor at the market is sad about the apparent lack of concern from those responsible for maintaining the toilet. Despite collecting user fees, there seems to be little effort to keep the facility clean and hygienic.
The situation at the Akropong Mandela Market highlights the urgent need for effective waste management and sanitation infrastructure in public spaces.
Authorities must take immediate action to ensure the facility is regularly maintained and cleaned. Vendors and customers deserve a safe and healthy environment to conduct their daily activities.
In the meantime, the vendors are urging local government officials to intervene and find a lasting solution to this problem.
Only through collective action can the health and well-being of both vendors and customers be safeguarded to restore the Akropong Mandela Market to its former glory as a thriving commercial hub.
Addo Sarah Ansah Student,
UNIMAC–IJ(BACS26275)
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