Goaso (A/R), Oct. 22, GNA – An estimated number of 8,507 People are living with HIV in the Ahafo Region, Dr. Kwabena Boakye Boateng, the Ahafo Regional Director of Health has said.
He said only 4,149 of them know their status with 4,152 on treatment as at August 2021, adding the overall HIV prevalence in the region stood at 2.1 per cent.
Dr. Boateng said this when he addressed the opening session of the USAID’s “Strengthening the Care Continuum Project” inception meeting, held at Goaso in the region.
The USAID, with support from the United States President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) conducted a scoping visit to the Ahafo Region to assess its HIV prevalence and care situation with the view to offering support towards strengthening the care continuum for HIV clients.
Following this visit and subsequent engagements with the Ahafo Regional health directorate, the USAID recognized the need to extend support to the Region to help improve the situation.
“Our performance in terms of the 95-95-95 HIV epidemic control goal stood at 49-10-73 as at August this year”, Dr. Boateng indicated.
He however, mentioned low viral load coverage as well as low early infant diagnosis testing coverage and inadequate trained staff in Anti-Retroviral Therapy (ART) management and data capture of HIV activities as key challenges hindering the forward march of achieving the 95-95-95 HIV epidemic control in the region.
Dr Boateng regretted stigmatization and discrimination of people living with HIV was still a challenge hindering access to health services.
The region, he added, has 11 ART sites, 82 sites for Prevention of Mother to Child Testing sites and three HIV Sentinel Survey Sites.
Madam Zohra Balsara, the Director, Health Population and Nutrition Office, USAID, explained that similar projects implemented in the Western Region greatly enhanced HIV suppression, stressing with commitment from all stakeholders, the project implementation would be successful and achieve desirable outcomes.
GNA