146 pregnant women tests HIV/AIDS positive
One hundred and forty-six pregnant women out of 4,841, who opted for HIV/AIDS test under the Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission programme in Kumasi were found to be with the virus. Madam Patricia Appiagyei, Kumasi Metropolitan Chief Executive who gave the hint said the three Anti Retroviral Treatment centres operating in the Metropolis, which includes the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital are currently treating about 162 out of 387 patients, who are doing very well.
She said this at the opening session of an international course on HIV/AIDS epidemiology with emphasis on children and nutrition in Kumasi on Thursday, which was supported by MASHAV (an Israeli Centre for International Cooperation).
The course organized by the Millennium Challenge Initiatives (MCI) in collaboration with the government of Israel, targeted healthcare teams including medical doctors, nurses and nutritionists from public and private health institutions in the metropolis.
The course is to build the capacity of the health staff to provide quality care and efficient health services to the people.
Madam Appiagyei said she was happy that additional strategies have been put in place to address the HIV menace by the expansion of voluntary and counseling tests centres to include some private and maternity homes and clinics as well as VCT for all pregnant women at anti-natal clinics. The Metropolitan Chief Executives said training on HIV/AIDS for heath teams has been a matter of concern in the world today due to the high rate of infections.
She said "it is somewhat encouraging to note that there was a drop in the number of new cases from 3.7 per cent prevalence rate in the first eight months of 2006, to 3.2 per cent for the same period in 2007. The drop in number could be attributed to the fact that strategies adopted to address new infections are effective, which is an encouragement for all stakeholders to press on and not to give up the fight against HIV/AIDS", she added
Madam Tali Tal, Information Department Coordinator for Ghana at the Embassy of Israel said MASHAV stands at the centre of Israel's activities to share her experience and expertise around the world. She said the course was another important step in advancing the cooperation between Israel and Ghana and hoped it would continue to expand for the benefit of the two Nations.
Madam Tal said the programme was the latest addition to the list of health programmes between Israel and Ghana.
She said the collaboration also involves the establishment and maintenance of a trauma care unit at the Komfo Anokye Hospital as well as the training of trauma emergency medical staff. She said she was looking forward to the completion of a maternity care unit at the Kumasi South Hospital, currently under construction and to facilitate more courses in Israel for medical and Para-Medics in the country.
The Information Coordinator indicated that her country actively engaged in agriculture and aquaculture programmes with the Ministries of Agriculture and Fisheries and hoped to launch a programme for organic farming in Ghana very soon. 10 Aug 07
She said this at the opening session of an international course on HIV/AIDS epidemiology with emphasis on children and nutrition in Kumasi on Thursday, which was supported by MASHAV (an Israeli Centre for International Cooperation).
The course organized by the Millennium Challenge Initiatives (MCI) in collaboration with the government of Israel, targeted healthcare teams including medical doctors, nurses and nutritionists from public and private health institutions in the metropolis.
The course is to build the capacity of the health staff to provide quality care and efficient health services to the people.
Madam Appiagyei said she was happy that additional strategies have been put in place to address the HIV menace by the expansion of voluntary and counseling tests centres to include some private and maternity homes and clinics as well as VCT for all pregnant women at anti-natal clinics. The Metropolitan Chief Executives said training on HIV/AIDS for heath teams has been a matter of concern in the world today due to the high rate of infections.
She said "it is somewhat encouraging to note that there was a drop in the number of new cases from 3.7 per cent prevalence rate in the first eight months of 2006, to 3.2 per cent for the same period in 2007. The drop in number could be attributed to the fact that strategies adopted to address new infections are effective, which is an encouragement for all stakeholders to press on and not to give up the fight against HIV/AIDS", she added
Madam Tali Tal, Information Department Coordinator for Ghana at the Embassy of Israel said MASHAV stands at the centre of Israel's activities to share her experience and expertise around the world. She said the course was another important step in advancing the cooperation between Israel and Ghana and hoped it would continue to expand for the benefit of the two Nations.
Madam Tal said the programme was the latest addition to the list of health programmes between Israel and Ghana.
She said the collaboration also involves the establishment and maintenance of a trauma care unit at the Komfo Anokye Hospital as well as the training of trauma emergency medical staff. She said she was looking forward to the completion of a maternity care unit at the Kumasi South Hospital, currently under construction and to facilitate more courses in Israel for medical and Para-Medics in the country.
The Information Coordinator indicated that her country actively engaged in agriculture and aquaculture programmes with the Ministries of Agriculture and Fisheries and hoped to launch a programme for organic farming in Ghana very soon. 10 Aug 07
| Source: GNA |
I feel really sad for the kids, mothers should lean to get tested before getting pregnant so they can save their kid some pain, just imagine what this innoscent kid will go through, and some men are also evil in a way that they know their HIV status is positive but still they marry women and get them pregnant, a law should be pass to require all couple that want to get married take an HIV test and if they fail they should be denied marriage certificate, this will save the whole world, as of now 1000s of kids die daily from HIV/AIDS and another thousands of HIV positive kids are born daily, this make the fight against HIV / AIDS very difficult to win
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Akua, how would know if the woman had the virus before she married? I absolutely agree with you that couples must be tested for the virus before marriage and before any sexual contact.Abstinence makes sense after all.
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REPLY TO AKUA and ATO,your ideas are very good but i think if it's been put into practice at all it will just be a "drop if water on a hot stone",b'cos the system will be only practicable in the motropols leaving the Rural areas and their villages who normally do traditional marriages,and may therefore
not have the opportunity to test their HIV/AIDS status.So i think besides your proposals there must be a nation wide mass education on SEX ABUSE and its precautions. "A SHARP STUMP OF A TREE MUST BE COMPLETELY UPROOTED"
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