The Ghana AIDS Commission's 2022 report has brought to light a crucial concern: an estimated 72,429 individuals residing in the Ashanti Region are currently living with HIV. However, only 26,006 of these individuals are receiving Anti-Retroviral (ARV) medications at health facilities. This leaves a substantial gap of 46,421 individuals who are unaccounted for in terms of antiretroviral treatment uptake—whether due to lack of awareness of their status or defaulting on ARV treatment.
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Mr. Dennis Bandoh, the Deputy Ashanti Regional Focal Person for HIV/AIDS, shared with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) that the region also saw 4,618 new HIV cases by the end of the third quarter of 2023, marking a 2.1 percent increase from the previous year.
HIV testing in the region is conducted in two distinct categories: Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission (PMTCT), primarily targeted at pregnant women, and HIV testing services catering to non-pregnant women and men, as explained by Mr. Bandoh.
Under the PMTCT category, a total of 62,835 pregnant women underwent testing, with 681 testing positive. Additionally, 3,937 individuals tested positive out of 51,940 screenings in the HIV testing services category.
The deputy focal person highlighted a significant challenge: the hesitancy of men to undergo voluntary testing due to various misconceptions. Notably, there is a prevalent belief among some men that if their pregnant wives or partners test negative, they are automatically negative as well. This misconception overlooks the fact that sexual partners might have different HIV statuses without their knowledge, making individual testing crucial irrespective of their partners' status.
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Mr. Bandoh stressed the importance of early initiation of treatment in halting the progression of the virus to the AIDS stage. He urged individuals who test positive to seek treatment at health facilities convenient for them, emphasizing that the proactive management of HIV can significantly improve individual outcomes.
Reflecting on high-risk groups, Mr. Bandoh noted that men having sex with men, female commercial sex workers, long-distance drivers, and uniformed personnel are particularly vulnerable. These individuals encounter various circumstances that increase their exposure to the virus.
In response to these challenges, innovative strategies have been adopted by the Ghana Health Service, including index testing, where individuals who have tested positive are encouraged to advocate for their close relatives and sexual partners to undergo testing. Additionally, HIV self-test kits have been made available in all health facilities, allowing individuals to access testing with ease and privacy.
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