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Because the country does not invest enough in comprehensive, rights-based and people-centered responses to HIV and AIDS, it is unlikely to meet the global 90-90-90 targets.
The global HIV / AIDS goal of 90-90-90 requires that by the end of 2020, 90 percent of people living with HIV know their status, while 90 percent of those who know their HIV status is positive they will be on antiretroviral treatment, and 90% of people receiving antiretroviral treatment have their viral load suppressed to an undetectable level, at which point they become non-transmissible.
But the national director of the Joint United Nations Program on HIV and AIDS (UNAIDS), Ms Angela Trenton-Mbonde, has said that Ghana, at this time, has deviated from the UN target and has reached the targets 58-77-68.
Ms Trenton-Mbonde, speaking at an event to mark World AIDS Day, which falls on December 1, said the Ghanaian figures mean that up to 42 percent of people living with HIV in the country does not know its status.
“There are impediments that prevent people from knowing their HIV status in Ghana. An example is the law that requires parental consent for adolescents under the age of 18 to access HIV testing.
“This law clearly prevents an adolescent under 18 from having access to HIV testing if that person does not want to talk to their parents about the situation,” he said.
World aids day
The event to mark World AIDS Day was organized by UNAIDS Ghana and Verified Health, a non-governmental organization.
On the occasion, a project was launched to reach young people to know their HIV status and prevent sexually transmitted infections and unplanned pregnancies.
Nicknamed: ‘IKnowMyStatus’ project, it will provide people with free access to HIV testing and contraception.
Global statistics
Ms Trenton-Mbonde said that by the end of 2019 there were 1.7 million new HIV infections worldwide, while the global target for new infections fell by less than 500,000.
In addition, he said, there were about 690,000 AIDS-related deaths and illnesses, with the goal of reducing AIDS-related deaths to less than 500,000 by the end of this year.
She said the statistics on the global target within the period were 81-82-88, adding that although the target was to reduce HIV-related stigma and discrimination by the end of this year, people were still immersed in their behavior. .
New global goal
Looking beyond 2020, Ms Trenton-Mbonde said UNAIDS had launched a more ambitious goal of 95-95-95 that it hoped to achieve by 2025.
He said that although many countries were unable to meet the 90-90-90 target, there were complementary, people-centered targets that sought to build a more conducive environment to support the realization of the new target.
IKnowMyStatus project
Verified Health Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Alexander Quaisie said that through the spirit of volunteerism and the implementation of the ‘IKnowMyStatus’ project, the organization is committed to mobilizing young medical professionals, such as physicians, physician assistants and clinical psychologists . , among others, perform various interrelated and relevant roles for their professional training, in order to ensure an efficient continuum of services for all beneficiaries.
“Together, we are committed to providing free, confidential, convenient and highly professional sexual health services to Ghanaian youth and especially key populations in the comfort of their homes and shelters,” he said.
