{"id":238592,"date":"2016-08-12T09:26:36","date_gmt":"2016-08-12T09:26:36","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/citifmonline.com\/?p=238592"},"modified":"2016-08-12T09:26:36","modified_gmt":"2016-08-12T09:26:36","slug":"minister-worried-over-hiv-prevalence-in-central-region","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/2016\/08\/minister-worried-over-hiv-prevalence-in-central-region\/","title":{"rendered":"Minister worried over HIV prevalence in Central Region"},"content":{"rendered":"
Kweku Ricketts-Hagan, the Central Regional Minister, has expressed worry over the rate at which HIV\/AIDS is spreading in the region.<\/p>\n
He said the 2015 HIV and AIDS Annual Review Report indicated that 76,734 pregnant women attended Antenatal Clinic in the region out of which 61,447, representing 80 per cent, took the HIV test with 585, representing 0.95 per cent, testing positive.<\/p>\n
[contextly_sidebar id=”OE9Bf25Exe8VzqCqCG6cThDyatDewElM”]Mr Ricketts-Hagan expressed these concerns at a free health screening outreach jointly organised by the Organisation of African First Ladies against HIV and AIDS, (OAFLA Ghana Chapter) and Ghana Aids Commission led by Mrs Lordina Mahama, the First Lady, at Winneba.<\/p>\n
\u201cI am worried about the remaining 15,287 (20 per cent) pregnant women who did not avail themselves for the Prevention of Mother-To-Child Transmission (PMTCT) of HIV programme,” he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere is the possibility that more HIV positive cases could be among the 15,287 who did not avail themselves for the PMTCT services during the period.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Minister noted that with regard to the report, it would lead to innocent children being born with HIV and this is unacceptable.<\/p>\n
He said the 2015 National HIV and AIDS Control Programme Sentinel Survey Report on pregnant women also revealed a consistent rise in HIV prevalence percentage recorded at three sentinel sites in the region, namely; Cape Coast, Assin Fosu and Asikuma-Odoben-Brakwa (AOB).<\/p>\n