HIV prevalence rate drops

THE national prevalence rate of HIV has dropped from 1.9 per cent to 1.7 per cent, the sentinel survey report for 2008 has revealed.
This is the second consecutive drop in the HIV prevalence. The only time the HIV prevalence has dropped consecutively was in 2004 and 2005.
The Programme Manager of the National AIDS Control Programme (NACP), Dr Nii Akwei Addo, made this known at the dissemination of the 2008 HIV sentinel survey report in Accra last Tuesday.
The Eastern Region is still the region with the highest prevalence, with 4.2 per cent, while the Northern Region has the lowest rate of 1.1 per cent.
All the regions, with the exception of the Eastern Region, recorded a decrease in the prevalence from the 2007 rates.
The Upper West Region recorded the highest decline from 3.3 per cent in 2007 to 1.6 per cent in 2008, representing a decrease of 52 per cent.
The Volta, Western and Upper East regions witnessed consistent decline in their prevalence since 2006.
According to the report, the prevalence in 2008 ranged from 0.0 per cent in North Tongu, which is a rural site, to 8.0 per cent in Agomanya, which is an urban site.
The report stated that only Agomanya had prevalence above five per cent, the threshold at which the pandemic is considered to have gained epidemic proportion.
The report again indicated that there were no urban sites with prevalence below one per cent. On the other hand, there were three rural sites with prevalence below one per cent as observed in 2007.
It again stated that the median HIV prevalence for 2008 was 2.2 per cent
However, HIV prevalence in urban areas was higher than it was in the rural areas. The mean HIV prevalence of urban communities was 2.6 per cent compared to 2.3 per cent in rural areas.
The highest prevalence was recorded between ages 25 and 29, which represented 3.0 per cent and the least, representing 1.2 per cent, was between ages 15 and 19.
Prevalence among the youth between ages 15 and 24, which was used as a maker for new infections, was 1.9 per cent.
The national median HIV prevalence which increased in 2005 after declining for two consecutive years had declined in 2008 to 2.2 per cent, a level below what was observed in 2000 and the lowest in nine years.
Prior to 2004, there had been a steady increase from 2.3 per cent in 2000 to 3.6 per cent in 2003. The 2008 report represented a 15.4 per cent decline in prevalence from 2007.
The median syphilis prevalence for 2008 was 3.8 per cent. Syphilis stereotype had, therefore, decreased from last years 5.1 per cent.
Central Region maintained its position as the region with the highest syphilis prevalence, with an increase in rate from 18.6 per cent to 20.5 per cent.
The region with the lowest syphilis prevalence was the Northern Region, following a decline prevalence from 2.1 per cent to 1.7 per cent.
Syphilis prevalence ranged from zero per cent in North Tongu and Builsa to 30.5 per cent in Asikuma Odoben Brakwa, all rural sites.
Seventeen sites, including Asikuma Odoben Brakwa recorded an increase from 2007 prevalence; four sites, namely Mampong, Navrongo, Wenchi and North Tongu maintained the same level of prevalence and the remaining 19 recorded a decrease.
North Tongu maintained its zero prevalence for the fourth time since 2005, with Cape Coast, Assin Fosu, Sefwi Asafo and Asikuma Odoben Brakwa remaining in the top five highest prevalence since 2005.
Dr Akwei Addo said HIV prevalence among STI clients ???? almost doubled from 5.7 per cent to 10.5 per cent in 2008 due to increases in both sites.
He said the Adabraka STI site recorded a prevalence of 15 per cent, while Kumasi STI site recorded 6.5 per cent.
He said the prevalence among females was still higher compared to males who had 11.8 per cent and 7.8 per cent respectively.
He said the highest prevalence among females was between ages 35 and 39, representing 15.9 per cent.
The Minister of Health, Dr Sipa-Adjah Yankey, however, indicated that the HIV prevalence among ANC clients which increased in 2006 after declining in 2004 and 2005 had declined again in 2008, following last year’s decline to its lowest in nine years.
He believed that this year’s reduction had established Ghana’s epidemic as stable with an inclination to retract.
He said the need to sustain the prevention education targeted at the youth and other groups held good prospects for contributing to further decline in the overall prevalence.
“A single case of HIV anywhere is HIV everywhere. We must, therefore, not be complacent. Indeed, the trend curve shown reveals a similar downward trend in previous years. We as a people did not capitalise on the initial decline to strengthen efforts at further reduction, only to see an increase in the prevalence subsequently”.
“We have not won the race yet, and will only win if we, at least, keep the current tempo at responding to the epidemic or preferably, increase efforts at reducing new infections in the country. The fact that syphilis is in the country is worrying and must be of concern to all of us,” he said.