The National AIDS Control Programme (NACP) has reported a rise in mother-to-child HIV infections, despite the Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission (PMTCT) initiative.
Dr. Stephen Ayisi-Addo, NACP Programme Manager, attributed this increase to inadequate testing and medication adherence among pregnant women, leading to ongoing transmission from mothers to their babies.
During the 2023 dissemination of National HIV estimates, Dr. Ayisi-Addo expressed concern over the persistent cases of newborns contracting HIV from their mothers.
The PMTCT initiative, led by NACP, the Ghana AIDS Commission (GAC), and other partners, aims to prevent HIV transmission from mothers to their babies. Under this intervention, pregnant women are tested for HIV during antenatal care visits, and those who test positive are given medication to protect their babies.
National HIV estimates revealed that 12,108 mothers aged 15 to 49 are receiving PMTCT treatment, while 13,445 mothers in the same age group need it.
Dr. Ayisi-Addo noted that many newborns contracting HIV are from mothers who missed testing during antenatal care visits. He emphasized the need to increase testing coverage, stating, “We are talking covering about 90 per cent of all ANC attendance for HIV testing, so those who come in late do not get the treatment to prevent the mother from transmission to the baby.
“We need to be able to improve the ANC testing coverage. We need to improve so that people will have supervised delivery on their routine services offered when pregnant women come to the facility,” he added.
He also highlighted the lack of adherence to medication among HIV-positive mothers as a cause of mother-to-child transmission. Despite testing and identification, not all mothers receive the necessary antiretroviral treatment.
Additionally, only 730 out of about 6,000 PMTCT facilities are providing antiretroviral drugs. In facilities without PMTCT coverage, pregnant women must be referred to other centers, but many refuse due to transportation issues. To address this, the NACP plans to decentralize antiretroviral therapy.
Postnatal transmission due to breastfeeding exposure remains a concern. The national response program has established strict infant feeding guidelines for HIV-positive mothers to prevent transmission, but adherence is low due to a lack of trained service providers.
Dr. Ayisi-Addo emphasized the program’s commitment to reducing mother-to-child transmission to 2 percent, the elimination target.
Dr. Stephen Atuahene, Director General of the GAC, stressed that strict adherence to treatment is crucial for viral suppression, which prevents perinatal transmission.
He urged HIV-positive women to achieve and maintain viral suppression before and during pregnancy, stating, “It is also the responsibility of the mother to adhere to treatment, maintain viral suppression status and avoid transmission.
“As long as you can do that, you have a better chance of averting transmission to your baby and so adherence is very crucial to all persons living with HIV and taking the medication. This is so important for mothers because every woman will want to have a healthy baby and therefore you have to avoid any risk that will expose your child to infection.”