HIV: Here’s why women test positive than men — AIDS Commission explains gender gap

The Ghana AIDS Commission (GAC) has attributed the higher prevalence of HIV among women in Ghana to a combination of biological factors and differences in health-seeking behaviour between men and women.

The explanation follows the release of the Commission’s 2025 National HIV Estimates, which show that more than three times as many females are living with HIV as males in Ghana.

According to the report, an estimated 337,435 people are living with HIV in Ghana this year. For every 100 males living with HIV, more than three times as many females are living with the virus.

Explaining the disparity, Dr Fred Nana Poku, Director of Technical Services, GAC, said women are biologically more susceptible to HIV infection during sexual intercourse.

“There are biological and physiological factors that makes ladies more susceptible and easily affected by HIV,” he said.

He noted that sexual transmission accounts for the vast majority of HIV infections.

“Eighty per cent of all HIV infections is through sexual transmission – so there’s sexual intercourse. Now, during sexual intercourse, the ladies are more susceptible because of the nature of their external genitalia – their vagina,” he said.

“It’s a broad-surface organ, with a large mucosa. When you spread the mucosa out, it’s a very large surface area, and the transmission or exchange of the virus occurs across the mucosa – the lining – and it has a bigger lining compared to the male’s.”

Dr Kharmacelle Prosper Akanbong, Director General, GAC, added that the female anatomy increases exposure to the virus during intercourse.

“The vagina is a receptacle which receives all the volume of sperms with all the viruses. So there’s no escape route,” he underscored.

“For the male, he needs some cuts, pulmonary tract infections, other mucosal bridges to be able to get the infection.”

The commission also said the disparity reflected differences in testing patterns, with women more likely to know their HIV status because they test more frequently than men.

He questioned whether the current statistics fully captured infections among men.

“If men were testing equivalently as women, would we be having these disparities in the statistics?” he asked.

He asked the media to broadcast the national intention to “vamp up male-testing services – it gives us a better picture of the national prevalence than just focusing on the women testing”.

The commission further cited findings from the Ghana Demographic and Health Survey, saying “women have a better health-seeking behaviour than men.”

He added that often, “men wait till it’s too late before they go to hospital,” noting that many stay away because of societal expectations surrounding masculinity.

The 2025 National HIV Estimates identify Greater Accra, Ashanti and Eastern regions as recording the highest numbers of people living with HIV, with 77,512, 68,354 and 42,704 cases respectively.

Western North, Northern, Ahafo, Upper East, Upper West, Oti, Savannah and North East regions each recorded fewer than 10,000 people living with HIV.

The Ghana AIDS Commission said the findings underscore the need to intensify HIV prevention, testing and treatment efforts, particularly among women and in high-burden regions.