By Erica Apeatua Addo
Tarkwa (W/R), March 15, GNA – Mr Benjamin Kessie, Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) of Tarkwa-Nsuaem, has said through the support of the United States President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), more than 5.5 million babies of mothers living with HIV were delivered without the disease.
According to him, the move had helped break the cycle of transmission from women to their unborn children.
Addressing some students and women groups in Tarkwa during this year’s International Women’s Day celebration, Mr Kessie commended PEPFAR and its partners for the great achievement, and stressed that, “Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission (PMTCT) of HIV is possible.
“Digital, innovation and technology for gender equality”, was the theme for this year’s celebration.
The MCE entreated all pregnant women within the Tarkwa-Nsuaem Municipality and the country at large to visit any health facility to enhance early case detection and treatment.
Mr Kessie also said PEPFAR was launched in 2003 by former US President Mr George Bush and was celebrating 20 years of global impact this year.
He said the programme had not only saved 25 million lives since its inception, but transformed the HIV/AIDS epidemic worldwide through prevention, testing, treatment, and public education.
On the 95 95 95 United Nations AIDS Goal, Ms Dzid Kwame, Media Specialist of PEPFAR, said “the first 95 aims to ensure that by the year 2030 95 per cent of Ghanaians will know their HIV status.
“Currently a lot of facilities and their implementing partners have introduced self-testing so you can go for the kit and have the test done at home”
The second 95 stands for 95 per cent of all people diagnosed with HIV should be put on treatment, Anti-Retroviral therapy (ART) and lastly 95 per cent of all people receiving ART will a viral load suppression.
Ms Kwame said “At first people living with HIV took a lot of drugs daily but now through the efforts of US government and institutions such as World Health Organization (WHO) and Global Fund, people living with HIV just take a single tablet once a day to suppress the virus.
“We want to draw the attention of women on this special day that HIV/AIDS still does not have a cure, so we have to be alert. We need to protect ourselves and family” she advised
Reverend John Azumah, an HIV/AIDS Ambassador, pleaded with Ghanaians not to discriminate against people living with HIV, but rather draw closer to them, adding, this will encourage others to test and even go for the treatment continuously if they are diagnosed with HIV.
GNA