For many expectant mothers living with HIV, pregnancy is no longer a sentence that their babies will be born with the virus.
Thanks to improved access to prevention services and treatment, thousands of women are delivering HIV-free babies across Ghana. But the journey to eliminating mother-to-child transmission is not yet complete.
The latest national HIV estimates show that while coverage of the Prevention of Mother-to-Child Transmission (PMTCT) programme remains high, babies are still being infected during pregnancy, childbirth or breastfeeding. Health officials say the persistence of these cases highlights gaps that require urgent attention.
Another growing concern is the number of children living with HIV who have not been identified or started on life-saving antiretroviral therapy. Without early diagnosis and treatment, children face a higher risk of severe illness and death.
The Ghana AIDS Commission says efforts will be intensified to close these gaps by expanding HIV testing for pregnant women, strengthening follow-up care for mothers and babies, and ensuring that every child exposed to HIV is tested and linked to treatment as early as possible.
The country is also stepping up interventions to achieve the global 95-95-95 targets ensuring that 95 percent of people living with HIV know their status, 95 percent of those diagnosed receive treatment, and 95 percent of those on treatment achieve viral suppression.
Isaiah Doe Kwao, Director Research, Monitoring and Evaluation at the Ghana AIDS commission who made the presentation of the 2025 HIV estimates and projections expressed concern over the gaps.
‘‘So far for the global 95-95-95 targets, we are doing 70- 81-92. We are still having mother to child transmission. Even though coverage is high, there are some mothers refusing to take the medication during pregnancy. A number of the children 10 to 19 years are also missed from being on treatment. That needs to be looked at.’’ He stated.
Health experts say eliminating HIV among children is possible, but only if pregnant women attend antenatal care early, remain on treatment throughout pregnancy and breastfeeding, and bring their babies for timely HIV testing and follow-up.
By Sarah Apenkroh
