The Ayawaso North Municipality in the Greater Accra Region continue to record four new cases of the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) every month, the Municipal Health Director, Dr Sophia Quist, has revealed.
According to her the HIV prevalence in the municipality was“alarming” and there was the need to curb the spread drastically.
The health director made the revelation at a stakeholders’ engagement under the theme; “HIV/AIDS-COVID-19” held in Accra yesterday.
According to Dr Quist, “80 per cent of transmission is through sexual contact; 15 per cent is through mother to child transmission and five per cent is through blood transfusion, needle sharing and needle stick accidents.”
She added that, this was due to lack of proper education about the disease and the stigma associated with HIV.
The director revealed that as measures to curb the spread of HIV, the assembly has ramped up its sensitisation programme.
Whilst debunking the claim that those persons who contract the disease immediately has AIDS, she advised that, “all persons who contract the virus can report to the nearest health centre within 24 hours for treatment to reverse the contraction.”
The health director said it took a range of two to 15 years for an infection (HIV) to become a disease (AIDS) after contraction.
Dr Quist explained that currently there was no cure for the HIV infection, however access to effective prevention, diagnosis, treatment and care had become a manageable chronic health condition.
She advised that all infected persons should visit the Anti-Retroviral Therapy Centres in their communities for treatment to suppress the infection.
The Assembly Member for Senya Electoral Area, Mr Wisdom Boateng, suggested that the municipality should consider using information vans as means to convey information about HIV/AIDS to the members of the community.
The Nima Divisional Police Commander, Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP)Abraham Acquaye, commended the assembly for this initiative whilst pleading to the various stakeholders to send the education to the grass roots.
In attendance were the Municipal Coordinating Director for Ayawaso North, MrMusahYahyaFroko, chiefs, opinion leaders and religious leaders.
BY VIVIAN ARTHUR & JESSEL LARTEY THERSON-COFIE
