Dr Mokowa Blay Adu-Gyamfi (2nd from right) and Professor Isabella Quakyi (1st from left) with dignitaries at the event
The country’s HIV prevalence has been fluctuating despite the stability demonstrated in some regions and the overall declining trend, the 2016 HIV Sentinel Survey (HSS) reveals.
The survey depicting the disparities in the regional prevalence indicated that six regions, namely Volta, Brong-Ahafo, Eastern, Ashanti, Western and Upper West Regions, had a prevalence rate higher than the national prevalence of 2.4 percent.
The Northern Region, however, had the lowest prevalence of 0.7 percent while the Volta and Brong-Ahafo Regions recorded the highest prevalence of 2.7 percent.
“Comparatively, HIV prevalence is higher in urban areas,” the study stated.
The Director General of the Ghana AIDS Commission (GAC), Dr Mokowa Blay Adu-Gyamfi, who announced this at the media launch of the National HIV and AIDS Research Conference (NHARCON) 2018 in Accra, stated that the country is currently experiencing a generalised HIV epidemic.
She mentioned that the GAC will scale-up the provision of high-impact HIV prevention services to key populations in order to have a stable decline of the epidemic in the country.
“Our efforts at reducing new infections within the general population cannot succeed without provision of high-impact HIV prevention services, therefore, we will continue to scale up targeted HIV prevention services,” she said.
2018 NHARCON
The National HIV and AIDS Research Conference, organised by the Ghana AIDS Commission, in collaboration with its partners, is held every four years.
The 2018 conference is the fourth to be organised by the Commission, and it is expected to serve as a platform to share ideas in support of the implementation of the current National HIV & AIDS Strategic Plan (NSP) 2016-2020.
It also forms part of GAC’s mandate to disseminate and share HIV and AIDS strategic information with the scientific community, academia, policy makers, programme managers, stakeholders and partners in the implementation of the national response.
Significant outcomes from previous conference includes the formulation of a National HIV Fund which when finalised will see local mobilisation of resources to combat the disease amidst the dwindling donor support.
Professor Isabella Quakyi, Chair of NHARCON Scientific Committee, outlining the conference activities, explained that the conference will be held from May 8 – 11, 2018 at the Accra International Conference Centre under the theme: ‘Ending AIDS: Rethinking Practices for Maximum Impact’
She said NHARCON 2018 will involve between 500 and 800 local and international participants and create the opportunity for reviewing the collective actions of researchers and stakeholders in the national HIV and AIDS response and set an agenda for the future.
“The Ghana AIDS Commission, the convener of the National HIV and AIDS Research Conference (NHARCON) is receiving abstracts on new research findings and innovative advances in the following fields: Social and Behavioural Science; Epidemiology Basic and Clinical Science; and Interventions and Best Practices,” she said.
Highlights of the conference include plenary sessions, abstract presentations, symposia, skills building workshops and poster exhibitions.
By Jamila Akweley Okertchiri