Funding for HIV Prevention intervention dwindles

Accra, June 24, GNA- 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, in depth 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”.
GNA