Accra, May 6, - Ghana is now
implementing the test and treat policy which is aimed at testing and treating
persons diagnosed with HIV instantly at the health facility to ensure that all
HIV persons are enrolled unto the antiretroviral medication treatment.
The test and treat policy that
became operational in 2017 would also help bridge the gap of missing people who
test for HIV positive at health facilities and centres but refuse to go back
for follow-ups, and to start treatment immediately.
The test and treat policy which
also served as a guideline was to help officials to enrol people quickly onto
the antiretroviral treatment.
Ghana AIDS Commission (GAC)
officials said that waiting period before putting on medication gave room for
some persons diagnosed with the virus to either escape the treatment or go
hiding and only come back with serious implications.
The test and treat programme is
said to help prevent new further infections and spread of the virus thereby
saving lives of people.
In the case of pregnant women,
the test and treat programme would help reduce the rate of infection to the
unborn baby.
Dr Naa Ashley Vanderpuje, Chief
Executive Officer of the West African AIDS Foundation who announced this at a
day’s media training workshop in Accra, said the test and treat policy was
being enrolled in all health facilities across the country.
The GAC in collaboration with the
Ghana Journalists Association, organised the training workshop on “HIV and Its
related Issues” for health reporters within the Greater Accra Region.
Dr Vanderpuje said there was
still no cure for AIDS, but there was treatment available for every person
diagnosed with the virus, saying, “even though these days people think HIV is
gone-HIV is not gone, HIV is still there, and we are seeing it amongst pregnant
women and it’s amazing the number of pregnant women who are still tested
positive on a daily basis in the country”.
She reminded the people that HIV
was still a big issue in Ghana because new infections were being recorded every
day, especially among pregnant women, female sex workers, men sleeping with
men, all who stood at a higher rate of transmitting HIV infections, “so the
prevalence among these groups are much higher than our national prevalence of
1.61 per cent”.
She said 20,000 new infections
were recoded among pregnant women every year while the total new infections
increased by 21 per cent across all ages in 2016.
Dr Vanderpuje noted that among
persons aged 15 to 24 years, new HIV infection increased by 45 per cent in 2016,
and that meant that people were not protecting themselves against the Virus.
She said the 90-90-90 campaign
being implemented currently in Ghana was to ensure that 90 per cent of all
people living with HIV would know their status, 90 per cent of people diagnosed
with HIV infection would receive sustained antiretroviral treatment and 90 per
cent of all people receiving antiretroviral therapy would have viral
suppression by 2020.
She therefore urged the media to
help raise campaign on all the measures being rolled out by the GAC and its
partners while the populace embrace and patronise various programmes to help
end the epidemic.
“The Media has a crucial role to
play to end the AIDS Epidemic by 2030 but first support us in fast tracking our
implementation of the Global 90-90-90 campaign by giving HIV and AIDS prominent
news coverage; using your reach and influence to give people the information
they need to protect themselves and those they love”.
Mr Kyeremah Atuahene, Director of
Research, Monitoring and Evaluation of GAC, said the Commission see the media
as a strong partner in helping to break the myths concerning HIV and mobilising
society to fight the HIV epidemic, which was still spreading fast among the
youth.
Ms Angela Trenton Mbonde, Country
Director of UNAIDS, said persons living with HIV remained critical parts of the
society and as they stayed religiously to their treatment, they would continue
to contribute to developing society.
She reiterated the need for the
media to help combat the epidemic from Ghana.
GNA
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