The feud between the management of the University of Ghana and Rev. Lawrence Tetteh, I believe, came to a reasonable end following the preacher's unequivocal apology over his comments about HIV and the student body of Ghana's premier university.
Some people may wonder why the university found his comments scandalous and demanded an apology and retraction. They argue that what the pastor said was true and that he did not need to apologise for telling the truth.
Well, here is the thing. In 2024, HIV is no longer the medical death sentence it once was. Tremendous advances in treatment, prevention, and long-term care have transformed HIV into a manageable chronic condition for many people who are diagnosed early and adhere to treatment. I will explain why shortly.
The biggest problem associated with HIV today was largely created in the 1980s when the disease first emerged. At the time, fear, confusion, exaggeration, and misinformation surrounded what was then a new infection. Part of the stigma also stemmed from how the disease was first identified and its common routes of transmission, particularly through sexual contact. Many people wrongly concluded that HIV was a disease of immoral or wayward individuals.
All these misconceptions created an atmosphere of fear, discrimination, and alienation that has remained with us for decades.
The Biggest Problem of HIV/AIDS
In my opinion, the greatest challenge associated with HIV/AIDS is not the virus itself but the stigma that has followed it from the very beginning.
In my local Ewe dialect, HIV is commonly referred to as "dika naku," which literally means "grow lean and die." That was how many people were educated about HIV years ago because effective treatment was not available. Fear became one of the main tools used to discourage unsafe sexual behaviour.
Back then, an HIV diagnosis was almost equivalent to a death sentence. Consequently, public health efforts focused heavily on fear and behaviour change rather than on treatment, counselling, testing, and preventive medical interventions. Unfortunately, this approach built a wall of stigma that still exists today.
HIV should never have remained such a frightening disease in the public mind because medicine has made remarkable progress in its treatment, management, and prevention. Although there is currently no widely available cure, people living with HIV who receive proper treatment can live long, healthy, and productive lives.
Yet HIV/AIDS remains a major public health concern, especially in Africa, largely because of persistent stigma and misinformation.
Why would someone willingly disclose his or her HIV status to family members, friends, or even a future spouse when they know they are likely to be rejected, insulted, or discriminated against?
That, in my view, is the real disease that continues to fuel the spread of HIV.
We must work together to cure the disease of HIV stigma through education, compassion, public health awareness, and accessible healthcare.
When we succeed in doing that, controversies such as the one involving Rev. Lawrence Tetteh and the University of Ghana will become less common.
Did You Know?
Did you know that after potential exposure to HIV through a needle-stick injury or unprotected sexual intercourse, there is a window of up to 72 hours during which Post-Exposure Prophylaxis (PEP) can significantly reduce the risk of infection if started promptly at a health facility?
Did you know that a person living with HIV who takes antiretroviral medication consistently and achieves an undetectable viral load does not sexually transmit HIV to an HIV-negative partner? This is supported by the scientific principle known as Undetectable = Untransmittable (U=U).
Did you know that someone can live with HIV for many years—sometimes 10 years or more—without showing obvious symptoms while unknowingly transmitting the virus to others? A person may appear healthy, strong, handsome, beautiful, or physically fit and still be living with HIV. This is why appearance should never be used to judge whether someone has the infection.
Did you know that HIV does not usually kill directly? Instead, it attacks and weakens the body's immune system by destroying disease-fighting cells. As the immune system becomes weaker, the body becomes vulnerable to opportunistic infections and certain cancers. This advanced stage of HIV infection is known as Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS).
Did you know that women are biologically more vulnerable than men to acquiring HIV during unprotected sexual intercourse? This makes it even more important for women to be empowered to insist on safer sexual practices, including condom use, particularly when a partner's HIV status is unknown.
In Conclusion
If we remove the ugly cloak of stigma and discrimination surrounding HIV and consider the remarkable advances in treatment, prevention, and long-term management, I can confidently say that many people living with HIV who receive proper treatment are likely to enjoy healthier and longer lives than some individuals living with poorly controlled chronic diseases such as hypertension, chronic kidney disease, chronic liver disease, or the long-term effects of stroke.
Data consistently show that these chronic non-communicable diseases account for a significant proportion of deaths worldwide, including in Africa.
As someone who works on the clinical side of healthcare, I rarely see hospital wards filled with patients admitted because of HIV itself. Yet every year we continue to hear alarming statistics about new HIV infections.
This tells me that our greatest battle is no longer simply against the virus. It is against fear, silence, stigma, and discrimination.
Let us tackle the disease of stigmatization first so that people can confidently come forward for testing, disclose their status without fear, access treatment early, and encourage others to do the same. Only then can we truly turn the tide against HIV in Ghana and beyond.
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