Public Agenda (Accra)
29 June 2009
Accra — Funding for HIV and AIDS prevention intervention has dwindled by 69 per cent from 2005 to 2007, sending a negative signal of behavioural change and the aversion of new infections.
Even though awareness was universal, indepth knowledge on how to prevent HIV is low and needed funding to stem up the campaign.
Presenting the preliminary 2008 Demographic Health Survey Report Ghana, HIV Component in Accra on Wednesday, Dr Richard Amenyah, Technical Director of the Ghana AIDS Commission (GAC), explained that general awareness among the Ghanaian population was 99.2 per cent for men and 98.2 per cent for women.
He noted that younger women between the ages of 15 to 19 had little knowledge, whilst women who have not had sex, women in the rural areas, women with no education and women living in the three northern regions,especially Northern and Upper West Regions had little or no knowledge about how to prevent HIV infection.
He said risky behaviour in terms of multiple partners and engaging in higher risk sex were on the increase and "as such there appears to be disconnection between knowledge and practice, which is the behavioural change".
Dr Amenyah called for national response to keep focus on cost effective and cost-efficient preventive interventions.
Dr Bill Bosu, Programme Manager for Non-Communicable Diseases, who made a presentation on "Modes of HIV Transmission Report Dissemination and Policy Dialogue", said Men having Sex with Men (MSM), which was considered as an insignificant group contributed to 7.2 per cent of all new infections of 13,437 for 2008.
The Modes of Transmission model was initiated by the UNIADS and was applied to estimate the distribution of new infections and identify populations at highest risk for HIV infection.
The report said 23 per cent of the new infections occurring in high groups among the Injecting Drug Users, Men having Sex with Men (MSM) and Female Sex Workers (FSW) and other regular partners.
He noted that over a period of one year, the highest proportion of infections occurred among the general, low risk population, and individuals involved in casual heterosexual sex with non regular partners.
The exercise, highlighted the lack of available data on population size, prevalence and risk behaviour among high-risk groups.
The study was undertaken in 2007-2008 by the country teams with support from UNAIDS and The World Bank.
The study called for the urgent need for studies to disseminate information on these issues in order to understand the transmission dynamics of the epidemic in Ghana with special reference to IDU, MSM and FSW.
Dr Bosu said there was the need for standardised sexual behaviour indicators between surveys and redefine unhelpful indicators such as "higher-risk sex in Demographic Health Survey.
He said it was crucial to produce appropriate Behavioural Change Communication materials to promote "know your status" and improve access to clinical care.
Mr Kyeremeh Atuahene, Acting Director of Research Monitoring and Evaluation of GAC said the Commission would prioritise policy dialogue on how to enhance prevention and treatment services for Men having Sex with Men, prisoners, FSW and other target groups.
He said donors would also engage on evidence-based resources allocation to increase budget for HIV prevention interventions, ensure sustainability of national response, multi donor budget support, as well as support from the Government of Ghana.
"Communication strategy would change to target who and where our new infections are coming from, he said.
Mr Atuahene called for the urgent need to re-engineer the national HIV and AIDS Response by adopting cost effective and cost efficient strategies towards accelerated prevention and expanded treatment and care programmes based on "what works".
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