Kumasi: The HIV Self-Testing Program's Pilot Phase Has Ended

According to estimates, 350,000 people in Ghana are HIV positive.

7% of the total are children, and 66% of the females.

Out of the estimated 350,000 people that were identified, 72% were treated, and of those, 87% had their viral load controlled in 58% of cases.

Additionally, 2 pregnant women have HIV for every 100.

Out of 1.9 million persons screened, 49,561 new HIV diagnoses were recorded from January to December 2022.

HIV prevalence among homosexual people is 18%, however it is 4.6% among female sex workers, which is much higher than the national prevalence rate.

Unfortunately, a large number of afflicted Ghanaians are unaware of their condition.

Prior to the program's national scale-up, the HIV self-testing intervention's pilot phase has therefore been completed in a few Ghanaian districts and municipalities.

HIV self-testing enables individuals to do an HIV test and receive their results in the privacy of their own home or another place.

The self-testing kits will be sold at hospitals, drugstores, and other authorized locations.

Dr. Stephen Ayisi Addo, the NACP's programme manager, told the media on the sidelines of a meeting on result sharing and HIVST stakeholder engagement organized by Ghana HIV and AIDS Network (GHANET) in Kumasi that there are over 100,000 people who may have HIV but are unaware of it; as a result, the self-testing initiative will encourage many Ghanaians to test to learn their status for early detection.

According to him, training has been provided for all relevant parties, such as service providers and health professionals, and community-based groups have also carried out sensitization campaigns.

"New Juaben has a high prevalence of HIV, but the majority do not know their status so this is giving them the opportunity to know their status if the test kits come and we distribute so it will help us know exactly how many people have HIV," said Isaac Acheampong Fianko of the Beyond Hope Foundation, which piloted the self-testing program in New Juaben South in the Eastern region. Some people are out and about, unsure of their situation. Without the test, you won't know if you have the infection. Many times, individuals are frightened to visit the hospital.

Out of the 1000 self-testing kits used, Maxwell Osei Owusu, Chief of Staff at Acts Ghana, a nonprofit organization operating in Abuakwa North Municipality, also stated that 13 of them had a positive reaction, but only 7 of them had the virus confirmed, with the remaining 6 not believing it and refusing to undergo a confirmatory test.

"Initially, we received 1000 kits, and after distribution, we discovered 13 cases; of those 13, we were able to confirm 7 and start treatment; however, there are still about 6 people who refuse to accept that they have the virus because it requires long-term medication that they will need to take for the rest of their lives.

From our research we find out that the kit test :It works a little like a pregnancy test. The kit comes with a swab, instructions for use, and phone numbers for help or counseling in case the results bring distress. Ora Quick finds HIV by tagging antibodies in blood plasma, but the red stuff is not required. It turns out that the valley between your cheek and lower jaw is filled with plasma-leaking capillaries. A swab included in the kit soaks up this valuable spittle. Then, much like a pregnancy test, you wait and watch. If you see one line, the test is negative; if it shows two, you are HIV positive. 

SOURCE:markneswin.blogspot.com