The Strides Ghana Has Made in the AIDS Campaign & the Need to Intensify the
Campaign


World AIDS Day is observed 1st December to take stock of the impact of the AIDS pandemic on individuals, families, communities and nations. 

For the third time in succession, the international community is focusing on the aspiration of getting to zero, -zero new HIV infections, zero discrimination and zero AIDS-related deaths.
 
The world has seen significant improvement in the AIDS campaign as new HIV infections have fallen by 38 percent since 2001. According to UNAIDS, 

AIDS-related deaths have fallen by 35 percent since the peak in 2005. 

More and more people living with HIV are also getting all access to anti-retro-viral therapy. However, despite these achievements, sub-Saharan Africa is still bearing the brunt of HIV and AIDS. 

It is estimated that that the region accounts for almost 70 percent of the global new HIV infections and more than 60 percent of the world's 35 million people living with the virus live in Sub Saharan Africa. Yet, treatment coverage of HIV infected persons in this part of the world is 37 percent, women, account for 58 percent of the total number of people living with HIV in this region 57 percent of the infected women have not been receiving the anti-retroviral therapy. 

The region has to contend with the major challenges of sigmatisation living with the HIV and Aids virus. The UN Secretary General, Ban Ki Moon said sigma remains the most important barrier to public action. It is the main reason too many people are afraid to see a doctor to determine whether they have the disease or not. 

Despite the recent advancement in service provision and reduction in HIV prevalence, Ghana has recognised that effective implementation of programs and the ability to reach set targets cannot be reached if it does not address the challenges of stigma and discrimination based management tool spanning the period 2011, guides the national response towards the reduction of new infection by 50 percent, virtual elimination of mother to child transmission and improvement in the quality of the life of HIV infected persons. 

It is in fulfillment of this that Ghana is commemorating the 2014 world AIDS Day under the theme "Ghana towards HIV Free Generation through Prevention of Mother to Child
Transmission, Safe Sex and Stigma Reduction". Ghana is the only country in West Africa to attain the tipping point. 

The number of people starting HIV treatment now exceeds the number acquiring HIV
infection. But that does not mean we should be complacent as some 25 percent of pregnant mothers do not have access to prevention services.

Moreover, a good number of people do not practice safe sex and many people wouldn't risk knowing their HIV status for fear of stigmatisation and discrimination. 

People infected by HIV have had their rights violated with impunity and the socio cultural practices that make women more vulnerable to HIV lingers on albeit. We must ensure that our younger women are empowered and protect from HIV infection and unwanted pregnancies. 

Many people must have access to condoms and also educated on the need for safe sex. But above all, we must ensure that persons living with HIV and their families are not stigmatized and discriminated against more infected persons must also have access to treatment and care. We are commemorating the World Aids Day at a time when the international community's attention is focused on Ebola. 

We need to sustain the campaign Stakeholders in the global Aids campaign must focus on building the momentum beyond 2015. The target set dubbed 90.90.90 where 90 percent of all persons living with HIV will get to know their status by 2020 must not be abandoned.
 
Again where 90 percent of persons who are positive would have started anti-retroviral treatment and where 90 percent of these persons would have had their viral load suppressed by the 2020 deadline. 

As we join the international community to mark world AIDS Day, we need everyone on
board the AIDS campaign. We must mobilize communities, families, health workers and policy makers, religious and traditional leaders if we are to achieve 100 percent coverage of HIV beyond 2015. Perhaps the most important ingredient to achieve this is the political commitment, the commitment to invest and lead the AIDS campaign in Ghana.


By: Christopher Asiedu. A Broadcast Journalist