According to the National AIDS/STI Control Programme, Rapid Diagnostic Test (RDT) Kits will soon be made accessible in pharmacies as part of initiatives to control national HIV infections.
Dr. Stephen Ayisi Addo, the program manager, expected that easy access to the self-testing kits will eventually lead to early diagnosis and effective treatment to reduce the prevalence of infection.
He stated that the National AIDS/STI Control Programme has started testing the idea, and that those who tested positive would be told to go to a clinic to start their treatment.
Dr. Ayisi Addo delivered a remark at the start of the 5th National HIV and AIDS Research Conference (NHARCON), which the Ghana AIDS Commission (GAC) will host in 2023.
The theme of the NHARCON 2023, which runs from April 25 through April 28, is “Achieving HIV Epidemic Control Amidst Emerging Health Threats.”
The program manager underscored the importance of this by pointing out that Ghana experienced 23,495 new HIV infections in the first half of 2022, with males accounting for 3.6% and women for 2.2% of these infections.
He said that out of the 259,408 persons receiving treatment, 932 people with HIV died and more than 101,500 people are still unidentified.
“This is in excess of the estimated 19,000 new infections annually and lower than the previous year’s positive yield of approximately 25,000,” he stated.
The programme manager reported that the Bono Region continued to lead in prevalence at above 4% for both routine and HSS data during the reviewed period.
The HIV Sentinel Survey (HSS) prevalence for Bono East and Ahafo in 2021 was 3% and 2%, respectively, and remained in the top five for routine data for the first half of 2022, according to Dr. Ayisi Addo. These regions were not included in the Western North, Ashanti, Greater Accra, or Eastern Regions.
He asserted that Ghana’s goal of achieving epidemic control would be a mirage if it did not periodically inform the target population of information gathered about them.
“Despite our progress towards achieving the global World Health Organization-UNAIDS aspirational 95.95.95 targets by 2030, our dream to achieve epidemic control remains a mirage.”
According to the 95-95-95 rule, by 2025, 95% of all HIV-positive individuals should be informed of their status, 95% of those who tested positive should be receiving treatment, and 95% of those who were taking their medication should have viral suppression. However, as of December 2021, Ghana had accomplished 71-99-79 of the specified objectives.
He claimed that despite the nation’s commendable efforts and ambitions, achieving them would be challenging without real-time data collection and dissemination to the populace to support prevention.
He advised prioritizing and funding learning and dissemination platforms like NHARCON as part of the prevention plan to support the country’s effort to achieve epidemic control.
The program manager acknowledged the urgent need for data utilization in decision-making and asked stakeholders for summaries that would help close any programming gaps in the country’s response.
He urged the government to seize the following opportunity to train the participating medical staff and delegates so they may make greater contributions to the collection, analysis, and application of data for efficient treatments.
The conference provides a venue for the discussion of ideas to help carry out the present National Strategic Plan (2021-2025).
Another aspect of the GAC’s responsibility is to share and exchange strategic information on HIV and AIDS with its partners and stakeholders in the implementation of the National Response.
