Stigma, Discrimination Affecting HIV/AIDS Efforts In Ghana – PEPFA Bemoans

The United States Presidents Emergency Plan for AIDS Response (PEPFAR) has identified stigma and discrimination as its biggest setback to its HIV/AIDs epidemic control efforts in Ghana.

These disclosures came to bear when the United States Embassy, PEPFAR and its partners opened a virtual training for journalists in health reporting

The Aid program which made Ghana the hub of its West Africa Regional platform in the year 2018, has for the past seventeen years, pumped some $85 billion into saving some 18 million persons living with the virus and prevented millions of infections.

PEPFA which has been supporting Ghana’s shared goals towards HIV/AIDS epidemic control chose the Western Region to launch a blueprint on successful protocols that can be replicated nationwide to ensure success in infection prevention and control.

According to PEPFAR, “From October to March, a total of 1,791 new positives have been identified, and of those who are on treatment and received a viral load test, 73% were virally suppressed. As of June, 96% of new positives are being linked to treatment.”

However giving his opening address PEPFAR Coordinator and Country Director, Centre for Disease Control (CDC-Ghana), Dr. Michael Melchior indicated that stigma and discrimination have hampered PEPFAR’s efforts at identifying new positives, putting patients on treatment and ensuring viral suppression.

Dr Michael Melchiorunderscored the need for the media to use all its professional communication tools and wide reach to transform the erroneous perception of the wider society about HIV/AIDs.

He was positive making strides in this direction will greatly support the UNAIDS global targets at ensuring that 95% of all people know their HIV/AIDs status, that 95% of persons who know their status are on sustained antiretroviral therapy and 95% of all persons on treatment have suppressed viral loads.

Globally state and non state actors working in the fight against HIV/AIDS are working towards the Undetectable equals Untransmittable goal code named U=U.

It is premised on scientific studies which have proven that HIV cannot be transmitted sexually when viral load is below 200 copies/ml.

The vice president of the Ghana Journalist Association (GJA) Madam Linda Asante-Agyei beckoned journalists in the training to be deliberate in using responsible language and reportage that does not injure the sensibilities of persons infected or affected by HIV/AIDS.

She warned, “Stigma can undermine social cohesion and prompt possible social isolation of groups, which might contribute to a situation where the virus is more, not less, likely to spread. This can result in more severe health problems and difficulties controlling a disease outbreak.”

The training being held together with PEPFAR partners; Media Health Link and the African Centre for Development Reporting will also have a bearing on the COVID-19 epidemic as it looks at addressing stigma against persons infected by the global pandemic.