Forty-one of the 1,312 people who visited the Kasoa Health Centre between January and October this year tested HIV positive, the Awutu-Senya District Chief Executive, Mr Solomon Abbam-Quaye said, at the celebration of the World AIDS day at Kasoa on Tuesday.
According to him the people were made up of pregnant women and those who offered themselves for voluntary testing.
He said 15 out of 786 pregnant women tested HIV positive, while 26 out of 526 who attended voluntary HIV testing proved positive.
The DCE said this does not present a pleasant picture for the district and therefore urged the people to "take the epidemic seriously"
The theme for the celebration is "Leadership, Reducing Stigma and Discrimination".
Mr Abbam-Quaye advised the people to join in the crusade against the spread of the disease.
He urged Ghanaians to submit themselves to the free counselling and testing exercise to know their HIV status.
Mr Abbam-Quaye entreated the people to understand that the disease has gone beyond a health issue to a major crisis, whose consequences go far beyond health solution alone.
He said it was about time Ghanaians came together to change their sexual behaviours to avoid contracting the disease.
Mr Philip Acheampong, Awutu-Senya District HIV/AIDS Focal Person in his address said testing positive does not mean that one is dying tomorrow.
He explained that people living with the virus could live and lead normal life if they took the drugs prescribed by medical personnel and were also supported by the family.
He said stigmatizing and discriminating against people living with the disease could speed up their death.
Mr Acheampong urged the people to open up to those who have acquired the disease and make them feel that they were part of the society, adding, shunning them endangers the life of the people.
Miss Patricia Antwi, District Director of Health Service in her welcoming address advised the people to use the celebration to create awareness about the HIV/AIDS pandemic.
She advised Ghanaian to practice regularly use of the Condom, but cautioned that abstinence will help avoid contracting the disease.