|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
About 95% of babies that were exposed to HIV (Babies that were delivered by HIV positive pregnant mothers) were found negative after an intervention by the Ghana AIDS Commission.
Brong Ahafo Regional HIV/TB Coordinator, Mr. Emmanuel Obeng Hinneh disclosed during the 2015 World AIDS Day Celebration in the region that about 2.2% of pregnant mothers were found to be HIV positive out of about 97% of pregnant mothers who were tested for HIV in the first quarter of 2015 in the region.
According to him, “All the 2.2% of the pregnant women tested positive for the disease were given antiretroviral drug to prevent the transmission of HIV from them to their babies.“
“One good thing we are happy about is at the same period, about 95% of babies who were expose delivered or by HIV Positive pregnant mothers were found to be negative. So this tells us that we will really reach an HIV free generation if we intensify what we are doing,” he said.
“The 5% that one way or the other found HIV positive could be due to several other factors that are beyond us, access to health services—and all those things are some of the issues. But attaining 95% of the expose babies to be negative is really a good job and I think that if we intensify what we are doing, we will reach an HIV free generation,” he added.
Theme for this year’s celebration was: “Fast Track: Meeting The Health needs Of Children Towards AN HIV-Free Generation.”
Acting Director General of Ghana AIDS Commission, Mr. Jacob Sackey said; the reduction of new HIV infestations among children has been among the most remarkable successes of the Ghana AIDS Commission in response HIV/AIDS.
He acknowledged hardworking partners of the commission who ensure that every pregnant woman hears the gospel to prevent mother to child transmission of HIV and assist them to seek antenatal and HIV prevention services to know their status and where positive gets treatment.
He said World AIDS Day is a day set aside to raise awareness on the status of the epidemic and renew commitment to HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment, care and support.
He indicated that The Ghana AIDS Commission needs the media to discuss how the media can highlight the AIDS epidemic in a positive way to educate the public.
Mr. Jacob Sackey said the Commission needs the media not only the as educators but also as advocates.
“Without the media as advocates we cannot efficiently address the HIV/AIDS as a developmental challenge to national growth; without the media we cannot sufficiently educate the public on the dynamics on the epidemic and new ways to respond to it,” he posited.
The President of Brong Ahafo Regional House of Chiefs who doubles as the Omane of Yeji called on Ghanaians to get tested for HIV/AIDS in order to know their status.
He pronounced that AIDS is real-and setting a day aside to celebrate the day is very laudable.
He expressed his sincere gratitude to the John Dramani Mahama administration for their effort to combat the disease.
On his part, The Brong Ahafo Regional Minister, Hon. Eric Opoku called on all stakeholders to intensify their educational/outreach programs across the country, most especially the prone areas in order to achieve our goals in fighting the epidemic.
He said the spread of HIV/AIDS is also linked to people behavioral pattern. He called on Ghanaians to check their basic behaviors thus, not to put them at risk.
Hon. Eric Opoku declared that the sentinel survey indicates that the Brong Ahafo regional prevalence rate has risen from 2.1% in 2013 to 2014—and it is a matter for concern to work towards an HIV-free region.
Follow @Mrkokgh via twitter for more updates
Facebook: Kofi Oppong Kyekyeku
