First Lady launches campaign against mother-to-child transmission of HIV

Mrs. Rebecca Akufo-Addo, First Lady, has launched a national campaign on prevention of mother-to-child HIV transmission.

Nicknamed "Free to Shine," the campaign aims to eliminate the transmission of the virus from mother to child by mobilizing women of childbearing age to have access to prevention of HIV transmission services. mother to child (PMTCT).

The overall goal of the campaign is to reach zero HIV infections in children by 2020, to end AIDS in children by 2030 and to keep infected mothers in life and in good health.

This is a continental and national initiative launched on January 29, 2018 in Addis Ababa (Ethiopia) by the Organization of African First Ladies Against HIV and AIDS (OAFLA). .

Objectives of the campaign

The campaign, among other things, will also strengthen follow-up actions to improve the coverage of early infant diagnosis, reduce stigma and discrimination related to HIV / AIDS, as well as promote the participation and participation of community in the fight against AIDS in children.

The campaign is in line with the Global Program on AIDS in Children, "Prevention of mother-to-child transmission: the key to a generation without HIV and keeping mothers alive".

The global agenda aims to improve access to quality prenatal services, including HIV testing, ARV drug placement for HIV positive testing, and quality antenatal care monitoring, as well as to improve access to quality antenatal care. continuous monitoring of the mother and the baby.

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At the launch of the campaign at LEKMA hospital in Teshie in Accra yesterday, Ms. Akufo-Addo said that it was possible that the campaign would increase the demand for services. It was therefore essential to "remove all bottlenecks related to the supply to meet the expected increase in demand."

She said, "It is possible to end HIV and AIDS among children in Ghana in the next two years through the Free to Shine campaign."

"I must point out that some African countries that have reached or are on track to eliminate mother-to-child transmission do not have the technical capacity or the benefits available to Ghana. In Ghana, we can do it too, "said Akufo-Addo.

She called the Ghana Health Service (GHS), the Ghana Christian Health Association (CHAG), the Association of Private Health Care Providers, Religious and Traditional Leaders, Development Partners and the private sector to support the campaign.

She also encouraged men to help their pregnant women get tested for HIV.

Statistics

Acting Director General of the Ghana AIDS Commission (GAC), Kyeremeh Attuahene, said HIV coverage among pregnant women was 71 percent in 2017, while only 67 percent of those tested positive received HIV. antiretroviral therapy to prevent the mother. transmission to the child.

He added that the Free to Shine campaign provided a platform for government, development partners, civil society and the private sector to work together to eliminate HIV infections in children.

Dr. Gloria Quansah Asare, Deputy Director General of the GHS, said the capacity of health workers was being strengthened to provide quality HIV care across the country.

She added that as part of the integration of services by the GHS, PMTCT was being integrated into the health of the mother, newborn, adolescent and adolescent. Child (MNACH).

The UN Country Director for AIDS (UNAIDS), Angela Trenton-Mbonde, highlighted the need to detect, treat and continue to treat HIV, to systematically collect data and to adopt an integrated approach. family-based screening for pregnant women.