We can achieve zero new infections for HIV and AIDS
Since the first reported HIV and AIDS case in Ghana in the 1980s, there has been no let in steps to lower its spread.
Those steps, which included a 50 per cent reduction in prevalence each year, have paid off, enabling the country to record an all-time low prevalence rate of 1.3 per cent last year, from the 2003 rate of 3.6 per cent.
While the Daily Graphic lauds the Ghana AIDS Commission (GAC), the Ministry of Health and related agencies for achieving this feat, we urge them not to rest on their laurels to attain a zero prevalence rate.
That would be possible if we keep up with continuous education of the youth and the sexually productive population of the middle class who still have some doubt about the existence of the disease.
We cannot stop the education on the existence and spread of HIV and AIDS if there are still sections of the public who are of the impression that it is all a hoax.
Perhaps we need to bring back all those scary pictures of people who are in the advanced stages of AIDS, although there are now antiretroviral drugs for HIV and AIDS patients.
That, we believe, will send a strong message that HIV and AIDS are still lurking in the corner.
The Daily Graphic believes that the “Protect the Goal” (PtG) campaign initiated last year by the UNAIDS and which some important personalities in Ghana, such as ministers and people in showbiz, have signed on to will only create the desired impact if those belonging to the middle class and who are in a state of denial of the existence of the disease are targeted.
That is when we believe the aim of the campaign to achieve a target of zero new infections and eliminating discrimination and AIDS-related deaths by 2015 would be achieved.
It will also result in the achievement of the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) on reversing the spread of the HIV virus and AIDS by 2015.
We are able to achieve all that because, as confirmed by Dr Girmay Haile of the UNAIDS, we are on course to achieving a total reduction in new infections in the country, having already achieved 66 per cent reduction in new infections in 2012.
Ghana’s adherence to the scientific method of managing the virus, as well as putting in place the social structures to educate people, especially on condom use, eliminating stigma and the formation of youth clubs to educate the youth on the virus, has also been lauded and it is a strong point we could capitalise on in our onward march to zero new infections.
For the PtG campaign to attain a nationwide status, we encourage the over 100 personalities who have already signed on to it to spread the news, so that the three pillars of condom use, knowledge of HIV status and reduction in sexual partners may catch on with the people.
