The Ghana AIDS Commission (GAC) has expressed concern over the rising number of HIV infections in the Ashanti Region, which now exceeds 66,000 cases. Alarmingly, less than half of those infected are receiving Antiretroviral Therapy (ART), despite its availability.
Ms. Olivia Graham, Ashanti Regional Technical Coordinator of the GAC, highlighted these concerns during an interview with the Ghana News Agency on the sidelines of a free multiphasic health screening held at Kejetia Market, Kumasi, to mark World AIDS Day.
The screening exercise included tests for HIV, blood sugar levels, blood pressure (BP), and Body Mass Index (BMI). Free condoms and HIV self-test kits were distributed to encourage safe practices and testing.
Ms. Graham disclosed that 3,650 new HIV cases were recorded in 2023, indicating that about 10 people are infected daily in the region.
“Our main focus for the multiphasic screening was to get many people checked for HIV since most people shy away from getting tested,” she explained.
She noted that the HIV test provided results within 15 minutes, indicating whether they were reactive or non-reactive.
“The HIV test does not indicate a positive or negative result but a reactive or non-reactive result that takes 15 minutes to be ready,” Ms. Graham said, adding that individuals with reactive results were counselled and referred to health centers for further testing to confirm their status.
She emphasized that HIV is no longer a “death sentence” due to the availability of effective treatment.
“There is a treatment for it, and when taken consistently, it reduces the viral load in the body system,” she assured.
Ms. Graham urged citizens to get tested, know their status, and begin treatment if necessary. She highlighted that achieving the goal of having 95% of infected persons on treatment is critical to controlling the spread of the virus.
The theme for this year’s World AIDS Day celebration was “Take the Right Path: Ending AIDS Together.”
Approximately one hundred twenty-eight thousand, eight hundred thirty-three Ghanaians (128,833) are unaware that they are living with HIV, representing about 35% of total cases.
This figure is based on data from the total cases recorded in 2023 and new infections reported in 2024.
In 2023, the Ghana AIDS Commission recorded 334,095 HIV cases, and in the nine months of 2024, 34,000 new infections were documented, bringing the total to about 368095.
According to the Commission, 55% of those who are aware of their HIV status are not enrolled in antiretroviral treatment, which is crucial for managing the virus and preventing further transmission.
“Despite the progress we have made, the epidemic care continues to show a very low rate of decline…It is estimated that 35% of Ghanaians living with HIV, have not tested and don’t know their HIV status. While 55% of them are not on antiretroviral medicines,” Director-General of the Ghana AIDS Commission (GAC), Dr. Kyeremeh Atuahene, said.
The Commission pointed out that non-adherence to antiretroviral treatment among individuals has hindered the achievement of treatment targets.
In his address at the World AIDS Day National Durbar Celebration on December 2, Dr. Kyeremeh Atuahene, Director-General of the Commission, acknowledged these challenges but also highlighted the significant progress the Commission has made, despite the obstacles.
The Minister for Health, Dr. Bernard Okoe Boye, encouraged advocates to focus on promoting prevention efforts as a key strategy to eradicate the disease.
“As much as possible, we must invest our energies into prevention so that with time, elimination would be the standard, so that we can be like other countries, the first world countries.”
Ghana is set to observe the 2024 World AIDS Day National Durbar today, Monday, December 2, at 9:30 AM, at Exhibition Park near the Spanner Bus Stop in front of Accra Mall.
The event, led by President Nana Akufo-Addo, is focused on the theme “Ending AIDS Together: Stepping up Prevention Efforts,” as the country grapples with a significant rise in new HIV cases.
The National Durbar will bring together a wide range of stakeholders, including prominent leaders such as Hon. Osei Bonsu, Hon. Dr. Bernard Okoe Boye, and Hon. Dr. Kyreemah Atabeahene, as well as key figures from various organizations like Mr. Hector Sucilla Perez, Mr. Frank Lube, Mr. Jehuan Ansah, and Ms. Elsie Agyah.
The event will feature messages from international partners, including the World Health Organization, UNICEF, UNAIDS, and PEPFAR, emphasizing the global importance of tackling the AIDS epidemic.
In light of recent data, the event takes on heightened significance. According to Dr. Stephen Ayisi Addo, Programmes Manager for the National AIDS Control Programme (NACP), Ghana recorded at least 34,000 new HIV cases between January and the third quarter of 2024.
This surge comes despite ongoing awareness efforts and screening activities conducted by the Ghana Health Service (GHS), which screened approximately 1.3 million people.
Dr. Ayisi Addo highlighted the urgent need for intensified prevention and treatment measures, warning that the high number of new infections threatens the nation’s goal of eliminating AIDS by 2030.
He stressed the importance of encouraging people living with HIV to seek treatment, including access to antiretroviral drugs, and called for greater involvement from community groups, religious leaders, and civil society organizations in spreading awareness.
Dr. Kyeremeh Atuahene, Director General of the Ghana AIDS Commission (GAC), also underscored the growing public health risk posed by complacency, urging the public to adopt preventive measures like abstinence and condom use. He warned that the country’s fight against HIV/AIDS could falter if the public fails to act with urgency.
The event today will serve as a reminder of the collective responsibility to fight the AIDS epidemic and promote better prevention efforts across the country.
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.”
The latest report from the Ghana AIDS Commission reveals that a total of 12,480 Ghanaians lost their lives to AIDS-related illnesses in 2023.
This figure highlights the ongoing challenges faced in combating the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the country.
The report also revealed that 17,774 individuals in Ghana contracted HIV in the same year, with females accounting for a significant majority of new infections.
Of the newly infected individuals, 11,317 were females, while 6,457 were males. This data includes various age groups, with 4,869 youths aged 15 to 24, 1,698 children under 15, 1,520 adolescents aged 10 to 19, and 16,076 adults over 15.
Despite efforts to reduce new HIV infections, Ghana has not met its annual target of a 17 percent reduction. To address this, the Ghana AIDS Commission has set a new target of a 41 percent reduction in new HIV infections between 2023 and 2030.
As of 2023, an estimated 334,095 people in Ghana were living with HIV, with females outnumbering males. This includes 17,550 children under 14, 16,381 adolescents aged 10 to 19, 33,245 young adults aged 15 to 24, and 316,545 adults aged 15 and above.
The report emphasized the importance of increasing efforts to combat AIDS, especially among the economically active population aged 15 to 49.
It also highlighted the need for Ghana to remain committed to achieving the global 95-95-95 targets by 2025, which aim to have 95 percent of people living with HIV aware of their status, 95 percent of those diagnosed on antiretroviral therapy (ART), and 95 percent of those on ART achieving viral suppression.
The Ghana AIDS Commission called for a collective effort to address the AIDS epidemic and emphasized that it should be a national priority.
New data from the 2023 national and sub-national HIV and AIDS estimates and projections reveal that 17,774 individuals in Ghana contracted HIV last year, comprising 6,457 males and 11,317 females.
This data was disclosed by Dr. Kyeremeh Atuahene, Director General of the Ghana AIDS Commission, during a press briefing in Accra.
The newly infected individuals include 4,869 youths aged 15 to 24, 1,698 children under 15, 1,520 adolescents aged 10 to 19, and 16,076 adults over 15. Despite a 14.8 percent reduction in new HIV infections over the past decade, Ghana has fallen short of its annual target of a 17 percent reduction.
Dr. Atuahene highlighted the ambitious goal set for the future: a 41 percent reduction in new HIV infections between 2023 and 2030.
As of 2023, an estimated 334,095 people in Ghana were living with HIV, with females (218,204) outnumbering males (115,891). The affected population includes 17,550 children under 14, 16,381 adolescents aged 10 to 19, 33,245 young adults aged 15 to 24, and 316,545 adults aged 15 and above. The HIV population in Ghana increased by nine percent from 2013 to 2023 and is projected to rise by 6.8 percent by 2030.
The projections also indicate that 12,480 Ghanaians succumbed to AIDS-related illnesses in 2023. Dr. Atuahene emphasized that these deaths were preventable, pointing to the availability of treatments that can halt the disease’s progression and prevent fatalities.
Despite these challenges, Ghana remains committed to achieving the global 95-95-95 targets by 2025, which aim to have 95 percent of people living with HIV aware of their status, 95 percent of those diagnosed on antiretroviral therapy (ART), and 95 percent of those on ART achieving viral suppression. In 2023, Ghana achieved 65.3 percent for the first target, 69.4 percent for the second, and 89.0 percent for the third.
Dr. Atuahene underscored the importance of prioritizing the fight against AIDS, particularly since the most affected demographic, those aged 15 to 49, constitutes the economically active population. He called for a collective effort to halt the AIDS epidemic in Ghana, stressing that it should be a national priority.
Director-General of the Ghana AIDS Commission, Dr. Kyeremeh Atuahene, is optimistic about the clearance of anti-retroviral drugs that have been held at the port since July 2023.
He disclosed that the Ministry of Health has provided assurances regarding the imminent resolution of this issue.
However, Dr. Atuahene expressed concerns over the potential repercussions if the drugs remain at the port. He emphasized the importance of timely action in clearing the goods to safeguard public health.
In an interview with Citi News, Dr. Atuahene highlighted the Commission’s trust in the Health Ministry’s commitment to adhere to agreed-upon timelines for clearing the drugs.
“We met the Ministry of Health to discuss this matter and we made it clear to them that it is really undermining the credibility and image of Ghana in the eyes of donor partners because all these donations are from the Global Fund, for which we are not paying a penny, and so why do we continue to have this situation on our hands?.
“We put people’s lives at risk by sleeping on the job and I believe they will take the necessary action to ensure that it never occurs again.”
He also emphasized the detrimental impact on Ghana’s reputation with donor partners due to delays in handling these vital donations from the Global Fund.
Gao Yaojie, a famous doctor who spoke out about the Aids outbreak in rural China, has passed away at the age of 95.
Dr Gao died in New York from natural causes. She had been living in exile there since 2009, according to a friend who spoke with the BBC.
She found out that businesses selling blood caused HIV to spread in rural areas.
She was a leader in fighting against Aids in China and traveled around the country to help sick people, sometimes using her own money.
She was born in Shandong province in 1927. Her family had to run away to the central Henan province during World War II.
She was a doctor for women’s health and met her first Aids patient in Henan province in 1996.
A Chinese activist who was sent away from his country feels sad about his old life.
In the 1980s and 1990s, many people in rural areas like Henan would sell their blood. Farming communities didn’t have many job choices, so they often sold their blood to make money. The government sometimes supported this. However, because only a small number of people in rural China were found to have HIV, and most people didn’t know much about Aids, blood from HIV+ patients was also collected, which caused the disease to spread.
At the time, Chinese officials believed that HIV was spread through sex or from a mother to her baby during pregnancy. Gao had a sudden realization when she found out that one of her patients had a history of receiving a blood transfusion and didn’t fit into either category.
She is called “Grandma Gao” and she went to Henan villages to look at how many people have Aids. It is said that she visited over 100 villages affected by AIDS and met with over 1,000 families. She would often give food, clothes, and printed resources about AIDS to people, usually using her own money.
In the beginning, Henan officials hid the fact that people were selling their blood, but later on they closed down the businesses in the mid-1990s. However,Gao continued to talk about how HIV is spreading in the country.
“It is larger. ” It’s all across the country, in all places. I have personally seen everything. Selling blood is against the law. In the old days, it was open for everyone to see. “In 2010, she talked to the BBC and said it’s now underground. ”
DrGao said that 10 million people in China have HIV, which is a lot more than the 740,000 people the government says have it. But official disagreed about this.
Although she wasn’t the first Chinese doctor to talk about the AIDS epidemic, she was the one who made people in the country and around the world aware of the situation.
would clarify it with. Gao could not get the Henan government to notice AIDS spreading from blood stations. Instead, she told a New York Times reporter. Professor Nathan at Columbia University assisted her in moving to New York. The Henan blood-sales Aids epidemic was in the news and it became a big problem. This made the Chinese government take action.
This made more news outlets talk about Dr. Gao’s discoveries in the early 2000s. She got many awards from her own country and from other countries too.
At first, the Chinese government was easy on her. CCTV, China’s main TV station, praised her in 2003 for being a person who influenced China. They said she had a lot of knowledge and good thinking that helped people feel less afraid and prejudiced. They also said she had a motherly love and gave a lot of herself to help people who were vulnerable.
Former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said that Dr. Gao is one of the bravest people she knows.
But the Henan authorities started to feel uneasy with her complaints about government officials. She moved away from China in 2009 because the government was watching her and putting more and more pressure on her.
She went to live in New York and stayed there until she passed away. Her husband Guo Mingjiu passed away in 2006. She has two daughters and a son who are still alive.
Even though people admire Dr. Gao for being a doctor, she has no relationship with her children.
Shiyu Lin wrote that Gao Yaojie’s oldest daughter said their mom helped others but made their family fall apart.
“MsLin remembered when Grandma Gao told her that she was a good doctor, but not a good mother. ”
Even though she was away from China for a long time, some Chinese people on the internet are sad about her death.
She was an important person. “But nowadays, young people may not know about that history,” said someone on Weibo.
“Our generation of people who work in news or read news know about her and remember her. ” Chinese journalist Li Weiao said on Weibo that the news reminded him of other Chinese doctors like Jiang Yanyong and Li Wenliang, who spoke out about the Sars outbreak and Covid pandemic.
The Director-General of the Ghana AIDS Commission(GAC), Dr. Kyereme Atuahene, has emphasized the urgent need to address significant funding shortfalls in HIV and AIDS treatment within the country.
Over the past two decades, donor funding for Ghana’s HIV and AIDS response has dwindled from 75% to 33%, resulting in substantial funding gaps.
Dr. Atuahene stressed the importance of filling these gaps domestically to prevent any regression in the progress achieved.
He made these remarks during the media launch of the 2023 World AIDS Day, set to be observed on December 1, 2023, with the theme “Let Communities Lead.”
Twenty years ago, Ghana introduced Antiretroviral drugs for the treatment of HIV and AIDS, effectively reducing the viral load in affected individuals.
The introduction of Antiretroviral therapy (ART) over the past two decades has saved the lives of thousands of Ghanaians, increasing the number of individuals on ART from 9,790 in 2020 to 13,539 in 2022.
Dr. Atuahene highlighted the risk of losing the benefits of scientific advancements in ART if funding for drugs remains entirely dependent on donors. To address this, the government established the national HIV and AIDS fund to ensure adequate funding for the HIV response.
Consequently, the Commission initiated a resource mobilization campaign to encourage individuals and corporate entities in Ghana to contribute to the fund.
Dr. Leticia Adelaid Appiah, Executive Director of the National Development Planning Commission (NDPC), emphasized the continued global impact of HIV and AIDS, underscoring the importance of a collective societal approach in the HIV response.
Dr. Kweku Afriyie, Executive Oversight Minister at the Ghana AIDS Commission and Minister for Environment, Science, Technology, and Innovation, acknowledged the need to address stigmatization and discrimination experienced by people living with HIV as barriers to achieving the United Nations’ 95-95-95 treatment target by 2025 and ending AIDS by 2030.
He added that “ending HIV/ AIDS is possible and it is within our grasp if we allow communities to lead with the right resources and support and commended all stakeholders, local and international, for their diverse roles in HIV and AIDS national response.”
Mrs. Linda Asante-Agyei, the Vice President of the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA), emphasized the importance of equipping the media with accurate information to empower communities to take the lead in their actions and achieve their objectives.
She said: “If communities will have to lead the agenda, then it means they have to be empowered and would need the role of the media to do this.
“Our doors are widely open, we will continue to support the GAC and stakeholders to succeed in this fight, we have done it before and we will continue doing it, all we need is for you to open your doors to us whenever we come to you looking for information.”
Director General of the Ghana AIDS Commission, Dr Kyeremeh Atuahene, has indicated that the youth comprise 11 per cent of the cumulative figure of 355,000 Ghanaians living with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).
Per the data provided by Dr Kyeremeh Atuahene at the Joy Christian Forum held last week, more than 40, 000 youth aged 15 to 24 years are infected with the virus.
The health expert attributed the number of HIV cases recorded to the surge in immoral activities being undertaken by members of the general public.
This, Dr Atuahene said, has made it difficult for the Commission’s aim of “reducing infections by 17% every year.”
He elaborated on the higher HIV infection rates among women, attributing it to their genital anatomy. He pointed out that the vagina’s structure and its delicate lining make women more vulnerable to HIV infection because it serves as a receptor.
Additionally, Dr. Atuahene highlighted that individuals with untreated sexually transmitted diseases (STIs) face an elevated risk of contracting HIV, noting that between 10 and 13 percent of people diagnosed with STIs have HIV.
“If you have chlamydia, chancroid, or any ulcerative infections then you become even more vulnerable. When you sleep with anybody, because you have some ulcers down there, you’re most likely to get infected,” he said.
Dr Atuahene therefore entreated the youth to do away with immoral behaviors that are most likely to endanger their lives.
Despite the challenge faced, the Ghana AIDS Commission managed to see a reduction in infections by 2 per cent last year.
Meanwhile, there is the likelihood of a mass spread of the Human Immune Virus (HIV) in the country, according to the Ghana AIDS Commission, as over 100,000 individuals are oblivious to contracting the virus.
“More than 28% of people living with HIV still do not know their HIV status because they have not tested. That represents about 100,000 people. They are spreading it unknowingly and that is not the best,” Dr Atuahene told the media.
According to him, the looming mass spread can be curtailed should citizens inculcate the habit of testing for HIV/AIDS frequently.
“If you wait till you get AIDS before you go to the hospital, it will take a much longer time for you to recover in terms of boosting your immune system for it to regenerate and support your body, it takes a longer time,” he added.
The Ghana AIDS Commission says it has mounted a search for the individuals who may be spreading the virus without being aware of it.
The Ghana AIDS Commission is actively seeking additional funding to enhance its endeavors in conducting amplified campaigns, advocacy efforts, and public education initiatives aimed at diminishing the incidence of new HIV infections across the nation.
Director-General of the Commission, Dr. Kyeremeh Atuahene, emphasized the organization’s duty to launch precisely targeted communication strategies, particularly at the grassroots level, to impart comprehensive awareness.
He conveyed the Commission’s intention to propagate its campaigns through diverse channels, placing an emphasis on traditional media platforms. However, he acknowledged that the associated costs have escalated to an impracticable extent.
Dr. Atuahene revealed that the Commission currently possesses outstanding debts to multiple media outlets for their participation in running advertising campaigns. This situation has led to a scenario where the Commission faces challenges in settling these financial commitments.
“We engage in advertising across different platforms, including Multimedia, Media General, Omni Media, and others. Unfortunately, we find ourselves in a position where we cannot honor our financial commitments, and we owe them substantial amounts of money,” Mr. Atuahene revealed.
He underscored the imperative need for increased resources to proficiently execute their campaigns and communication strategies.
While recognizing the Commission’s adeptness in generating ideas, he emphasized that funding is pivotal to actualize these endeavors. He clarified that the purpose behind raising these concerns was to elucidate the obstacles they confront, rather than solely seeking financial assistance.
“We are not merely seeking money, but rather, we are identifying the obstacles we encounter as a Commission. We share this information in the hope that individuals with a positive outlook will extend a helping hand. Those who overlook these issues or deny their seriousness will eventually realize the truth,” he explained.
Dr. Atuahene underscored that Ghana possesses the necessary tools to combat HIV/AIDS effectively, but it’s imperative to secure the resources required to implement the mechanisms that will support these efforts.
The Director General of the Ghana AIDS Commission, Dr. Kyeremeh Atuahene, has refuted claims of anti-retroviral drug shortages and subsequent rationing.
He stated that there are ample supplies to cater to those affected by the virus until the next year.
Dr. Atuahene addressed the issue during an interview with the media he said, “there is no rationing. We have enough anti-retroviral medications to treat the whole HIV population. We have enough medications to last a long time, at least until the end of the year and even beyond.”
He clarified that while donor partners assist with drugs for around 125,000 individuals, Ghana must secure funding for the remaining 250,000 people living with the virus.
The commission intends to mobilize resources to purchase additional retroviral drugs.
Dr. Atuahene emphasized the need for alternative funding sources to ensure a steady supply of medications from next year onwards.
He noted that if the required pharmaceuticals are not obtained, rationing might become necessary in the future.
However, he reassured that there is currently no rationing in place and the commission is actively working to prevent any potential issues.
“If we don’t have enough by next year, we may have to consider rationing.” But, for the time being, we do not have rationing. Those who rely on narcotics would perish without them, which we must prevent.”
New data from the Ghana AIDS Commission reveals that a total of 16,574 new cases of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infections were reported in 2022.
The number represents a decline from the total of 18,036 infections documented in 2021.
People of all age groups were impacted by the 16,574 new HIV infections.
Infections were recorded in 13,706 people aged 15 and up; 2,180 children aged zero to 14 years; 645 adolescents aged 10 to 19 years; and 739 young people aged 15 to 24 years.
The total number of AIDS-related deaths recorded for people of all ages was 9,359, the data added.
Adults (15+ years) were 7,179; children (0-14 years) 2,180; adolescents (10–19 years) 645 and young people (15–24 years) were 739.
At the moment, the total HIV in Ghana stands at 354,927 with persons aged 15 and above leading the chart with 330,215 infections.
The Ghana AIDS Commission has announced the distribution of over 200,000 HIV/AIDS Self-test kits nationwide.
This initiative follows the recent launch of the HIV/AIDS Self-test on July 19 by the government, facilitated through the Ministry of Health.
The purpose is to empower the public to conveniently check their status within the comfort of their homes or any location of their choice.
Dr. Kyeremeh Atuahene, the Director-General of the Ghana AIDS Commission, shared that plans are already in motion to provide training to local pharmacists on the distribution and proper use of the test kit.
He mentioned that even before the pilot launch, some pharmacy shops were already selling self-test kits, as they have been available for several years.
As the expansion program progresses, the goal is to involve pharmacists in the distribution process, recruiting and training them to offer the program’s test kits to the public.
“As far as pharmacists are concerned, in fact before we started the pilot, some pharmacy shops were already selling self-test kits. Because self-test kits have been available since before this decade, so people have been selling them.”
“We hope that in the expansion programme, pharmacists will also be recruited and trained to distribute some of the programme’s test kits,” he noted.
“The end of AIDS” is still possible by 2030, the United Nations insisted Thursday, but cautioned that the world’s deadliest pandemic could only be halted if leaders grasped the opportunity.
“AIDS can be ended” as a public health threat, the UNAIDS agency said, as it outlined a roadmap of investment, evidence-based prevention and treatment, empowering civil society and tackling the inequalities holding back progress.
UNAIDS said ending the pandemic was, above all, a political and financial choice.
“We are not yet on the path that ends AIDS,” the agency’s executive director Winnie Byanyima said, but “we can choose to get on that path”.
The UN first set out in 2015 the target of ending AIDS as a public health threat by 2030.
Byanyima said the greatest progress on HIV — the virus that causes AIDS — was being made in the countries and regions that have invested strongly.
She cited eastern and southern Africa, where new HIV infections have dropped by 57 percent since 2010.
Botswana, Eswatini, Rwanda, Tanzania and Zimbabwe have already achieved what are called the 95-95-95 targets.
This means that 95 percent of those living with HIV know their status; 95 percent of those who know they have HIV are on life-saving anti-retroviral treatment; and 95 percent of people on treatment to achieve viral suppression — and therefore highly unlikely to infect others.
At least 16 other countries are close to achieving the target.
They include eight in sub-Saharan Africa — the region where 65 percent of HIV-positive people live — and Denmark, Kuwait and Thailand.
39 million living with HIV
In a report, UNAIDS said that two decades ago the AIDS pandemic seemed unstoppable, with more than 2.5 million people acquiring HIV each year and AIDS claiming two million lives annually.
But the picture is now dramatically different.
UNAIDS said that in 2022, 39 million people globally were living with HIV, of whom 29.8 million were accessing anti-retroviral therapy. Those missing out include 660,000 children.
The numbers on anti-retroviral treatment have near-quadrupled from 7.7 million in 2010.
Furthermore, 82 percent of pregnant and breastfeeding women living with HIV had access to anti-retroviral treatment in 2022, compared to 46 percent in 2010 — which has led to a 58 percent drop in new infections in children.
Around 1.3 million people became newly infected with HIV last year — down 59 percent from the peak in 1995.
Meanwhile 630,000 died from AIDS-related illnesses, and it is still the “number one killer” in countries including Mozambique, said Byanyima.
“Overall, numbers of AIDS-related deaths have been reduced by 69 percent since the peak in 2004,” the report said.
‘Dependent on action’
“The end of AIDS is an opportunity” for today’s leaders to be remembered as “those who put a stop to the world’s deadliest pandemic”, said Byanyima.
“We are hopeful, but it is not the relaxed optimism that might come if all was heading as it should be. It is, instead, a hope rooted in seeing the opportunity.”
Funding for HIV fell back in 2022 to $20.8 billion — around the same level as in 2013, and well short of the $29.3 billion needed by 2025.
Laws that criminalise people from key populations, or their behaviours, remain in place in many nations, UNAIDS said, giving the example that criminalisation, and stigmatisation, of drug injectors prevents them from coming forward for treatment.
HIV continues to impact key populations more than the general population, it added.
In 2022, compared with adults aged 15-49 in the general population, HIV prevalence was 11 times higher among men who have sex with men; four times higher among sex workers; seven times higher among people who inject drugs; and 14 times higher among transgender people.
The Ghana AIDS Commission has said it has spent $323.7 million on HIV/AIDS-related activities in the last three years.
According to the Commission, the total HIV/AIDS-related expenditure for 2019, 2020, and 2021 will be $88,648,568, $107,280,242, and $127,828,300, respectively.
Director General of the Ghana AIDS Commission, Dr Kyeremeh Atuahene, who disclosed this, also revealed that the spending for the years mentioned came from the government, the private sector, and international donors.
Dr. Atuahene stated this during the launch and distribution of the National AIDS Spending Assessment (NASA) report for 2019-2021.
NASA is a comprehensive and systemic resource tracking method for HIV/AIDS programmes that describes the financial flow, actual disbursements, and expenditures.
The report is hinged on three dimensions, including financing, provision, and consumption, and the overall estimates of the expenditures of the public, private sectors, and international donors on the national HIV and AIDS response.
Dr Kyeremeh Atuahene, Director-General of the Ghana AIDS Commission, has warned Ghanaians against engaging in transactional sex.
Speaking to Joy FM, the AIDS Commission boss said Ghana’s target of achieving zero HIV infections by 2030 is achievable, but only if the youth of the country desist from transactional and commercial sexual activities.
“Some young people see sex as a means of making income. We have hookups, which entail young men and women offering themselves as sexual providers to sugar mummies and daddies. All these expose them to HIV/Aids,” he said.
According to Dr Atuahene, HIV, unlike other diseases such as COVID-19 and tuberculosis, is contracted through deliberate actions, hence the need for the youth to be cautious in their sexual escapades.
“Nobody can force the pathogen into your body. You decide to have sex and it does not come out of the blue,” he noted.
He also urged the youth to practice abstinence and safe sex, while noting the availability of HIV/AIDS treatment.
In the first half of 2022, 495 Ghanaians tested positive for HIV.
The figure represents two per cent of the total number of 948, 094 who got tested for HIV within the period in review.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the president’s chief medical adviser, will step down in December, just weeks before his 82nd birthday and after a five-decade career in public service.
Last Tuesday, Fauci gave his final news conference from the White House, in front of reporters and members of the public who had grown to know him while delivering updates during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“What I would like people to remember about what I’ve done is that every day for all of those years, I’ve given it everything that I have and I’ve never left anything on the field,” Fauci said during his last public appearance, as he also urged Americans to get COVID-19 booster shots.
“So, if they want to remember me, whether they judge rightly or wrongly what I’ve done, I gave it all I got for many decades.”
Fauci officially leaves office in December, after a five-decade career in public health, where he served as director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. He led the agency’s response to AIDS, Ebola, swine flu, Zika and West Nile viruses and anthrax attacks over the years.
Fauci was born Dec. 24, 1940, in Brooklyn, N.Y. The youngest of two siblings, Fauci graduated first in his class from Cornell Medical School in 1966. He then began his career in public service as a physician, joining the National Institutes of Health in 1968.
He has published over 1,100 papers over his career, his first on Celiac Disease came in 1965.
He acted as an adviser to a total of seven presidents, beginning with former President Ronald Reagan.
During the Reagan administration, then Vice President George H. W. Bush publicly called a mostly-unknown Fauci a “hero.”
Former President George W. Bush awarded Fauci the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2008 for his work in fighting AIDS.
In August, President Joe Biden hailed Fauci as a national hero.
“I came to know him as a dedicated public servant, and a steady hand with wisdom and insight,” Biden said.
Just a few months before that, in June, the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Mass., named its science complex after Fauci, an alumnus of its class of 1962.
Before he shot to fame, with his photo and video clips splashed across nightly newscasts, Fauci inspired the main character in author Sally Quinn’s 1991 bestselling romance novel Happy Endings.
“We just sort of immediately got into a very intense conversation, and I just found him riveting, and unbelievably attractive, and charismatic. I thought he was brilliant. I thought he was really sexy.”
But things didn’t always go as smoothly when the public spotlight quickly shifted to Fauci as the COVID-19 pandemic set in across the United States.
As an adviser to former President Donald Trump, Fauci faced great criticism and even threats from Trump and some of his supporters, like former White House adviser Steve Bannon.
The criticism extended beyond the realm of politics. Fauci, his wife of nearly 40 years Christine Grady and their three daughters faced death threats at timesy7h8ujn Grady works as the head of the Department of Bioethics at the National Institutes of Health and met Fauci while the two worked together treating a patient.
Thomas Connally, 56, was handed 37 months in prison after saying in one email that Fauci and his family would be “dragged into the street, beaten to death, and set on fire.”
Fauci, who often clashed with Trump, said last year that it felt “liberating” having Biden in the White House.
“It has been the honor of a lifetime to have led the NIAID…for so many years and through so many scientific and public health challenges,” Fauci said this past August, when he first announced he would step down.
Looking back at his time under Trump, Fauci said he “developed an interesting relationship” with the former president.
“Two guys from New York, different in their opinions and their ideology, but still, two guys who grew up in the same environments of this city. I think that we are related to each other in that regard,” Fauci said in July.
Despite the difficulty, often magnified by the public spotlight and even calls to resign, Fauci persevered.
“It was clear that if we walked away from telling the truth in an environment of untruths, then there would be nobody there telling the truth,” he said earlier this month.
“When you’re dealing with an outbreak involving the country and the world, you generally think of the country as your patient. And when things get tough, you don’t walk away from it.”
It’s the same mentality he had in the 1980s, battling the newly-emerged HIV despite it being ignored politically.
“Indeed, politics did step in the way of science back in the 1980s, but it was a different kind of politics,” Fauci said during a 2020 interview.
Looking back, he said he’s most proud of how health officials were able to respond to COVID-19.
“We made major investments in science for decades prior to COVID, and within 11 months [to] have a vaccine that went through massive clinical trials, that is beyond unprecedented,” he said earlier this month.
“We will never be able to prevent the emergence of a new infection. What you can do isprevent that emergence from becoming a pandemic.”
After almost two decades of the discovery of the Goat Serum in the fight against HIV and AIDS, funders of the test in the country are calling on the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research (NMIMR) to make public the findings of the research.
The funders, the Grace Eureka Bio-Medical Research Product International based in Accra, on August 5, 2022 wrote to the institute to make available for publication the results of the test with the World Health Organisation (WHO) seal of certification.
The letter, signed by the President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Grace Eureka, Dr Edward Siaw Sefa, a copy of which the Daily Graphic has sighted, had the topic: “Preparation and In Vitro Testing of Goat Anti-Serum to Human Immunodeficiency Virus types One and Two”.
It requested the NMIMR to make available certified results and attach the requisite contact details of scientists involved in the study to a member of the Council of State, Richard K. Atikpo.
The letter said the discovery of the serum was Ghana’s opportunity to save the world from the scourge of HIV and AIDS.
A serum is a protein-rich liquid of an animal used to provide immunity to a pathogen or toxin by inoculation or as a diagnostic agent.
Positive test
However, in a sharp rebuttal, a former Deputy Director of the institute, Prof. Michael Wilson, who was at post at the time of the test, said it was not the place of the institute to publish the findings.
He said the contract between the institute and the researcher of the goat serum, Dr Gary Davis (now deceased), then a Director at Grace Eureka, was for the NMIMR to do a test tube research to ascertain whether the serum was potent in the fight against HIV and AIDS.
In an interview with the Daily Graphic in Accra, Prof. Wilson said in 2005, Dr Davis and his team from Grace Eureka contracted the services of the NMIMR to run the test on the goat serum.
According to him, the test came out positive, meaning that the serum in its test tube form was found to be potent.
He added that the institute then gave copies of the results to Grace Eureka and Dr Davis, who by then had fallen out with each other.
Prof. Wilson said that was all that was required of the institute and, therefore, he was surprised that almost 20 years later, a letter had surfaced claiming that the institute did not publish the results and should, therefore, make them available to the funders again.
Asked what should have been the next steps after the results had been made available to the parties involved, Prof. Wilson said there should have been further tests or experiments on animals to determine whether the serum was safe and not toxic and then move on to do clinical trials, which should be preceded by a safety trial.
Ghana’s opportunity
However, Dr Sefa said he was alarmed at a recent Daily Graphic report which said 23,495 people had tested positive for HIV in the first half of 2022.
The figure is two per cent of the 948,094 people who undertook HIV testing from January to June 2022.
The figure is said to be from different segments of the population, namely: men, pregnant women, non-pregnant women, homosexuals and female sex workers.
Dr Sefa said the situation of HIV and AIDS in the country was still scary and needed a quick intervention.
According to him, the goat serum had been used on different occasions in some parts of the world and Ghana where it had been proved to be efficacious.
He said the scientist, Dr Davies, had already done the test tube test in the USA, which had also proved that the serum was viable.
He said the goat serum had to be tested in Ghana upon a request by the National Institute of Health (NIH) of the USA to enable Grace Eureka to undertake further work for clinical trials to begin.
Dr Sefa said the clinical trial could not be done because a lot of impediments were put in the way of Grace Eureka internationally and locally, after which Dr Davies died after he returned to the USA.
NMIMR test
In 2005 when the NMIMR did the test and it was published by the Daily Graphic, some HIV and AIDS champions rubbished it as not being the answer to the cure.
Prof. Nana Kofi Ayisi, who performed the laboratory experiment on the goat serum, however, insisted that the work was significant and “gives cause for hope”.
Prof. Ayisi, in an interview with the Daily Graphic at that time, explained that “the essence of the laboratory test was to confirm earlier tests that had proved that HIV antibodies could be produced in goats for clinical trails to be undertaken”.
At 72, Debbie Allenhas pulled off one of her biggest achievements, not for herself but for children.
Earlier this year, she finally opened a new 24,000-square-foot performing arts center for the Debbie Allen Dance Academy (DADA) in Los Angeles — The Rhimes Performing Arts Center. (Yes, as in Shonda Rhimes.)
Allen founded DADA two decades ago to ensure that children of color, in particular, had a chance to take part in the performing arts. The reason that has become her passion is personal.
“In my heart of hearts, I’m always one of those kids,” Allen told CNN in a recent interview. “I grew up in Houston, Texas where in the ’50s and ’60s, everything was segregated, and I couldn’t go to class. I wasn’t allowed to go to the best dance school.”
She studied and struggled and fought her way to success. Her first big break: “Fame,” the 1980 movie and subsequent TV series about high school students at a performing arts school in New York. Allen played Lydia Grant, a hard-charging but loving dance instructor who did not sugarcoat what it took to be successful in the world of dance.
“The role in ‘Fame’ did so many things for me because I did so many things. I was the choreographer, I became a director on ‘Fame,’ I was their mama, I was the psychiatrist, I was their cook, I did everything,” Allen recalled of her experience. “I fell in love with those amazing young people who were actors and dancers and became writers and composers and it was a footprint that we left all over the world.”
Her arts center was made possible with the help of some of her friends and colleagues, who stepped up when Allen wasn’t sure if her dream to expand would work out.
It’s been a long time coming.
In 2017, Hollywood powerhouse producer Rhimes, with whom Allen worked on ABC’s “Grey’s Anatomy,” purchased the building, a warehouse in LA’s Koreatown, and donated it to Allen’s program. The Rhimes Performing Arts Center opened this spring.
“Just making more opportunity for young people in the arts, that’s my purpose in life. That’s greater than almost anything else that I do,” Allen said.
And Allen has done a lot. From dancing, to producing, to choreography, to acting and directing, she has forcefully but gracefully pushed past boundaries the industry has laid in her path.
Allen remains a director and executive producer on “Grey’s,” a show, she says, that tackles real-life issues like Covid and women’s reproductive rights.
“Our show is very female-driven and the plight of women right now in this country is remarkable. What is happening, what lays ahead of us and what battles we’re gonna have to wage to not go back into some dark age, it’s frightening,” Allen said.
With the show set to enter its record-breaking 19th season, Allen admits, “we’ve talked about it being over for the last three years,” but ending the series hasn’t felt right.
“We can’t,” she said. “The fans — (we have) more fans now than ever.”
Another show she was on — “A Different World,” a groundbreaking series that Allen produced and directed from 1988-1993 — ended prematurely, she says, and she doesn’t mince words when the subject comes up.
“‘A Different World’ should never have gone off the air,” she said. “That’s my opinion about that because talk about relevance, talk about what’s really happening in our country. We addressed some things — the presidential campaign, racism, date rape, AIDS.”
With an impressive career to look back upon, Allen still spends most of her time looking forward.
Later this month, she’ll host a jazz festival with Grammy winner and legendary musician Arturo Sandoval to raise money for her school. She’s excited about teaching salsa, as well as the taco trucks and tequila.
Hell-bent on having fun while doing hard work, she laughs easily and embraces the new with the old. Like twerking.
Oh, yes, she twerks.
“Twerking has had many names; it was the shimmy way back,” she says. “Twerking is funny. It’s a booty move is what it is, and you could totally link it directly to African dance.”
Whether she’s raising money, being a boss on set or moving her feet, Allen keeps her mission to matter front of mind.
“I’d like to be remembered as someone who gave her all,” Allen said. “[Someone] who gave 150% all the way, to her family, to her community, and to the young people in the world.”
The Nigeria Red Cross has mobilised some one million volunteers to deal with the possible spread of coronavirus into the country, along with the existing outbreak of Lassa fever.
Its Secretary General Abubakar Ahmed Kende told the BBC’s Newsday programme that:
“Nigeria is a highly mobile society and for that reason it makes us highly susceptible to some of these diseases happening in the world.”
We are hopeful this disease may not reach Nigeria, not withstanding we have to make every effort to sensitise, mobilise, educate our populace to see that they take necessary steps to prevent this from happening.”
We have mobilised, we have given alert to our about one million volunteers across Nigeria to take note of the situation and also be prepared.”
Aids-related deaths in Kenya have dropped by about 55 per cent from 60,000 in the last nine years to 28,000 last year according to the World Aids Report 2019 released on Wednesday.
Additionally, new infections reduced by 51 percent over the same period from 100,000 in 2013 to 49,000 currently.
The country’s HIV and Aids prevalence was at 4.9 percent with 1.8 percent (52,767) being new infections.
The report released at Garissa Road Primary School in Thika town by Health Cabinet Secretary Sicily Kariuki, also showed the Antiretroviral Therapy (ART) coverage had improved with 1.2 million people on treatment.
Statistics from Africa showed that 25 million people live with the virus, with 24.5 million on treatment globally.
The CS said the results affirmed the government’s efforts in countering the epidemic despite the structural, economic and cultural barriers in accessing health care and shrinking donor support.
Budget
“To address this, the Health Ministry’s budget has been increased by more than 50 percent over the last two years. Beginning 2020, the Ministry has set aside funds to plug donor cuts in anti-retroviral therapy and essential services. This is in addition to increased counterpart financing,” said Kariuki.
She announced that in partnership with governors, they plan to employ 40,000 health providers to bring the number of community health volunteers to 100, 000.
They will help in the Level one’s in psycho-social support and will become the first point of contact in treatment.
UNAIDS Executive Director Winfred Byanyima, said women between 15-24 years are the most vulnerable, with statistics showing that more than 6,000 women within that age are being infected with HIV every week, the status being high in Africa.
She said efforts must be made to safeguard the interests and rights of girls and women such as rape, violence and gender inequality,
She added that millions of women can’t access healthy sex precautions like condoms or contraceptives unlike their male counterparts.
“A girl’s first experience with sex is violent, forceful, that’s the reality. Chances of infections that time are high. Poverty amongst women also contributes to the high prevalence,” she said.
Acting Kiambu Governor James Nyoro said the HIV incidence in Kiambu was among the highest in the country at 4.5 per cent, with youths aged between 15 and 24 bearing the bigger percentage.
He said the community health volunteers will help in sensitizing residents and easing access to sex education.
