The government is introducing self-testing for HIV as part of measures to combat the spread of the disease

The government is introducing self-testing for HIV as part of measures to combat the spread of the disease

3 News

Thu 05 Sep, 2024 17:18

The ineffective HIV testing strategies implemented by the Ghana Health Service over the years are blamed for the country’s difficulty in making progress towards meeting the 1995-1995 global targets.

For this reason, the government, together with its partners, is expanding the HIV self-testing initiative to increase the coverage of HIV testing services, with a focus on men.

Of the estimated 334,000 people living with HIV, only 65% ​​know their HIV status. Of that number, only 69% are receiving treatment. The Ghana Aids Commission reports that more than 100,000 people are living with the virus but do not know their status.

To address this problem, the government launched the HIV Self-Testing (HIVST) initiative last year with support from the Global Fund.

This year, the project is being scaled up to increase coverage of HIV testing services (HTS) by improving case findings and locating hard-to-reach groups, particularly men who would otherwise not be reached by traditional HIV testing service approaches.

Prior to the implementation of the project, a three-day training workshop was organized for approximately 50 civil society organizations that will be working on the cause in 50 high HIV burden districts in the country.

The Chairman of the GHANA HIV and AIDS Network, Ernest Amoabeng Ortsin, during the opening session of the workshop, called on participants to focus on men.

“As part of the implementation strategy, special attention will be paid to getting more men tested for HIV through self-testing. He said that although national data show that more women than men are infected, the yield in the male population is often higher than in the female population when groups of men and women are tested randomly,” Mr Ortsin said.

This, he said, means that “if more effort is made to get men tested, it would be possible for the country to find more of the missing HIV cases.”

Dr Stephen Ayisi Addo, Programme Manager of the National AIDS and STI Control Programme, is confident that with the support of all stakeholders, a major impact can be achieved through the country’s response initiatives.

“GHANET’s continuation of the project was based on the network’s innovative approach to last year’s rollout. The country is currently not making much progress, as of the estimated 334,000 people living with HIV, only 65% ​​know their status. Of those who know their status, only 69% have entered treatment and of those on treatment, about 89% have achieved viral suppression,” he explained.

The three-day training covered topics including basic facts about HIV and AIDS, prevention of sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment, generating community demand for HIV and AIDS, writing narrative reports and basic project accounting.

The news item Government introduces self-tests for HIV as part of measures to combat the spread of the disease first appeared on 3News.

Read the whole story