In total, 23,495 individuals in the first half of this year tested HIV-positive (January to June).
The figure represents 2% of the 948,094 individuals who had HIV testing between January and June of 2022. They belonged to a variety of social groups, including men, pregnant and non-pregnant women, homosexuals, and female sex workers.
In an interview with the Daily Graphic in Accra, the National STIs and HIV/AIDS Control Programme’s Programme Manager, Dr. Stephen Ayisi Addo, stated that even though the half-year number from last year was 25,545, this year’s figure was too high.
“The figure for this new infection is too high, so we need to intensify education to let people know that HIV is still real; it is around and there must be constant reminders. We have to let people know that they need to stick to the prevention strategies, whether they are children or adults,” he said.
He claimed that of the persons who showed up for testing, 4% each were from the Bono, Ahafo, Eastern, and Western North areas, while 3% each were from the Ashanti and Greater Accra regions.
He claimed that for the remaining regions, some had 2% and others had a percentage for each.
The majority of the 23,495 persons who tested positive, according to Dr. Ayisi Addo, have now started receiving HIV therapy.
Reasons for new cases
Regarding the causes of the recent occurrences, the program manager explained that, unlike smallpox and other diseases that had been eradicated, HIV was still present in the population and that, as long as people engaged in sexual activity and were getting married, they would spread it to others.
He said that the new cases were the result of ignorance and complacency, saying that because public health officials were no longer raising awareness of the disease’s hazards, people mistakenly believed there was no longer an issue.
“Some youth today don’t know HIV is there. Some know, but they have assumed that it’s gone. People are now more afraid of COVID-19 and the Marburg fever than they are of AIDS,” he pointed out.
According to him, only 71% of the anticipated 350,000 HIV-positive people in the nation as of December 2021 had been detected by the control program.
Be aware that nearly 245,000 of those people, or 98%, were receiving treatment as of June this year.
He said that 79% of people with the illness who were taking their medicine had achieved the viral suppression stage, where the illness was no longer contagious.
According to Dr. Ayisi Addo, the percentages for testing, treatment, and viral suppression show that the nation is moving closer to achieving the 95/95/95 testing, treatment, and viral suppression rates aim set by the UN.
What is the 95/95/95 target?
According to the first 95, by 2025, 95% of all people who are HIV positive should be aware of their status.
The second 95 indicates that by 2025, 95% of people who tested positive for HIV should be taking medicine, and the last 95 indicates that by 2025, 95% of people taking their medication should have viral suppression.
Ghana currently has 71/99/79 of this goal accomplished.
“The reason for this is that science has shown that when people have viral suppression, which in the laboratory is read as undetectable viral load, the likelihood of transmission is almost zero, so we refer to it as U = U, meaning undetectable is equal to un-transmissible.
“If we are able to achieve that, it is like achieving head immunity in vaccination. Very soon, people will not be transmitting and, therefore, HIV will not be an issue of public health importance and that is what we are looking at by 2030,” he said.
He expressed concern for the 29% of people who don’t know their HIV status and the 21% of persons with HIV who haven’t yet reached viral suppression, saying that this means those 21% are still at risk of spreading the disease to their partners and other people.
He emphasized that testing to determine one’s status was the only method for the nation to meet the 95/95/95 worldwide target, adding that Ghana was anticipated to test roughly 1.2 million people annually.
Prevalence
According to the most recent survey, Dr. Ayisi Addo stated that in Ghana, the prevalence of the disease was higher in men who had sex with other men, with a prevalence rate of 18%; female sex workers, with a prevalence rate of 4.6%; and those who have STIs, with a prevalence rate of approximately 12%.
According to him, the prevalence of STIs was documented at 12%, meaning that having a STI already increased one’s risk of contracting HIV.
“This we knew earlier, and that is why our key strategy is to detect and prevent STIs, such as syphilis and chlamydia, and treat them. Because if the person is free from infection, the risk of getting HIV is low,” he explained.
Strategies adopted
The program manager spoke about the methods they had used to increase awareness of people’s sexual orientation, including strategic testing, particularly among men who had sex with men and female sex workers, as well as testing high-risk men and women, such as the unpaid partners of female sex workers and the wives of homosexuals.
He said that further testing was being conducted in facilities, outreach programs, and STI clinics.
What should be done?
Dr. Ayisi Addo urged continued HIV education, continued campaigning by the Ghana AIDS Commission, community engagement by NGOs, and use of the 1% HIV fund allotted to metropolitan, municipal, and district assemblies for the disease’s prevention and other linked services.
“Let us all work together to fight the stigma and discrimination against AIDS, so that we encourage people to go for voluntary testing and get treatment. If we do this, we can achieve our 95/95/95 target,” he added.
Source: graphic.com.gh
