Nearly 160,000 Ghanaian children have become orphans because of the West African country’s struggle with HIV/AIDS, myjoyonline.com reports.

According to the article, Damien Punguyire, MD, medical superintendent of Kintampo Municipal Hospital, announced the statistics during a regional school’s health training event. In addition, he noted that in 2007, 60 percent of women ages 15 to 49 and nearly about 17,000 children younger than 15 were living with the virus.

If not controlled, the prevalence rate of HIV/AIDS among youth and women of reproductive age could negatively impact the economy and national development, Punguyire warned. He also called for an end to HIV stigma and asked that teachers emphasize prevention methods and HIV education in school.