MultiCare Health System’s Post

As public health advocate, I want to present the following brief summary on the current prevalence of HIV/AIDS in Ghana and the urgent need for public awareness and action: HIV/AIDS remains a significant public health concern in Ghana, with an estimated prevalence of 1.6% among adults aged 15-49 as of recent data. This translates to approximately 350,000 people living with HIV in our country. While we've made progress in recent years, the fight against HIV/AIDS is far from over. Key points for public awareness: 1. Testing is crucial: Many individuals are unaware of their HIV status. Regular testing is essential for early detection and treatment. 2. Treatment is available: Antiretroviral therapy (ART) can help people with HIV lead healthy lives and reduce transmission risk. 3. Prevention is key: Consistent condom use, pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), and education about safe practices can significantly reduce new infections. 4. Stigma kills: Discrimination against people living with HIV/AIDS discourages testing and treatment. We must foster a supportive community. 5. Vulnerable populations need support: Certain groups, including young women and key populations, are at higher risk and require targeted interventions. 6. Mother-to-child transmission can be prevented: Proper care during pregnancy and childbirth can protect infants from HIV infection. We call upon all Ghanaians to: - Get tested and know your status - Seek treatment if positive - Practice safe behaviors - Educate yourself and others - Support those living with HIV/AIDS By working together, we can reduce new infections, improve the quality of life for those affected, and move towards an AIDS-free generation in Ghana. Kumi Bismark Biomedical scientist University of Cape Coast

Sharing some quotes from this opinion piece: 1. "Until recently, advanced HIV was viewed as a problem of late presentation, so the solution was thought to be testing more people and diagnosing the disease earlier. Although late presentation remains problematic, however, advanced HIV is now predominantly seen among people who started care but were not effectively engaged or have disengaged, returning only when they’re ill. " 2. "As global targets have focused attention on viral suppression, attention to mortality has diminished. National programs generally do not collate or report data on causes of HIV-related deaths; we therefore lack reliable estimates of mortality and the true scale of deaths related to advanced HIV disease." National HIV programs need to reflect on the extent to which these apply to them. https://lnkd.in/gkeqs2vS

To strengthen the quality of Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) testing services, #Lesotho is transitioning to the World Health Organization (WHO) recommended Three HIV Test Strategy. The Three Test Strategy is an HIV testing strategy in which a person is diagnosed with HIV after three consecutive reactive tests. HIV testing is essential to achieving “the first 95” of the UN “95-95-95” targets aimed at ensuring at least 95% of people living with HIV know their HIV status by 2025 thereby contributing to ending the HIV epidemic. Lesotho has one of the highest HIV prevalence rates globally, with approximately 21.1% of the population living with HIV. About 280,000 people are living with HIV with approximately 4,790 new HIV infections and around 4,700 deaths attributed to AIDS annually. The high prevalence, incidence, and mortality calls for the urgency of prevention and early detection to avert most of the new infections and deaths prevented with timely diagnosis and treatment through timely and accurate diagnosis. Read More: https://lnkd.in/deBwsPji #HIVTesting #hivprevention #PublicHealth #MedicalInnovation #precisionmedicine #healthcare #infectiousdiseases #HIVAwareness #patientcare #mededgemea

Resistance to Dolutegravir (DTG), a key antiretroviral drug for HIV treatment, has emerged at a higher rate than expected, with levels reaching up to 19%. This underscores the urgency of implementing standardized surveys to understand the prevalence and patterns of DTG resistance mutations and their clinical implications. As the use of DTG-based antiretroviral treatment expands, it's crucial to closely monitor and prevent HIV drug resistance, especially among infants newly diagnosed with HIV. While the prevalence of resistance to drugs used in pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is low for individuals acquiring HIV while on tenofovir-containing PrEP, it increases significantly if PrEP is started during undiagnosed acute HIV infection. https://lnkd.in/gMwz6kxp

📃Scientific paper: People Who Inject Drugs in Mozambique: We need to normalize HIV treatment and care services in specialized community centers for people who inject drugs! Abstract: Globally, People Who Inject Drugs (PWID) have limited healthcare, treatment, and prevention services, and they frequently experience stigma and negative attitudes toward healthcare providers when accessing services. Mozambique, with a general population HIV prevalence of 12.5%, has one of the highest rates in the world, and the PWID population has the highest HIV prevalence among key populations, estimated at nearly 50%. Less than half of HIV positives who inject drugs are linked to HIV treatment and are retained in care. One of the main reasons is that HIV treatment is mainly provided in a public health facility and PWID delayed accessing healthcare since they anticipated mistreatment from multiple levels of healthcare providers. To improve the health outcomes in this group, we need to treat them where they feel comfortable and respected. In this commentary, we outline the importance of innovative approaches to enhance the management of HIV-positive PWID. As a country gets close to controlling the HIV epidemic, refocusing and targeting responses to the highest-risk groups becomes even more essential for shaping more effective HIV interventions and achieving epidemic control. Continued on ES/IODE ➡️ https://etcse.fr/2IvFi ------- If you find this interesting, feel free to follow, comment and share. We need your help to enhance our visibility, so that our platform continues to serve you.

South Africa has made significant progress in HIV/AIDS management, but encouraging people to test remains crucial due to: 1. *High prevalence:* South Africa has one of the highest HIV prevalence rates globally (12.6% among 15-49-year-olds). 2. *Undiagnosed infections:* Approximately 14% of people living with HIV in SA are unaware of their status. 3. *New infections:* SA records around 230,000 new HIV infections annually. 4. *Treatment gaps:* Not all HIV-positive individuals are on treatment or virally suppressed. 5. *Stigma and discrimination:* Persistent stigma and discrimination hinder testing and treatment. *Benefits of HIV testing in SA:* 1. *Early treatment:* Timely treatment improves health outcomes and reduces mortality. 2. *Prevention:* Testing reduces transmission risk, especially among high-risk groups. 3. *Mother-to-child transmission prevention:* Testing protects infants. 4. *Increased treatment coverage:* Testing helps reach UNAIDS' 95-95-95 targets. 5. *Improved health outcomes:* Testing enables targeted interventions. *Target populations for HIV testing in SA:* 1. *Youth (15-24):* High-risk group due to social and behavioral factors. 2. *Men:* Often hesitant to test, increasing transmission risk. 3. *Pregnant women:* Testing prevents mother-to-child transmission. 4. *Key populations:* Sex workers, men who have sex with men (MSM), people who inject drugs (PWID). 5. *Rural communities:* Limited access to testing and treatment. *Strategies to encourage HIV testing in SA:* 1. *Community-based testing:* Outreach programs, mobile testing units. 2. *Self-testing:* Increase availability and accessibility. 3. *Routine testing:* Integrate testing into primary healthcare. 4. *Social media campaigns:* Normalize testing, address stigma. 5. *Partnerships:* Collaborate with community organizations, traditional leaders. atHeart Consultancy participated in Vergelegen Estate’s 12th annual HTS Campaign, testing nearly 300 members of staff.

Interesting read, and it's not all doom and gloom. In line with UNAIDS's 95-95-95 targets, countries should aim for 95% of people living with HIV to be diagnosed, 95% of those should be on treatment and 95% of people on treatment should have viral suppression, all by 2025. South Africa is on track to meet the first target, with an estimated 95,4% of people living with HIV in 2023 having been diagnosed. On the second target, the percentage is lower - about 78,7% of people who have been diagnosed with HIV were on treatment last year. For the third target, South Africa is again doing well, with an estimated 91,3% of people who are on HIV treatment being virally suppressed. Much work remains to be done, though, and in a world in polycrisis HIV/Aids can only be tackled together with other challenges. https://lnkd.in/deZ9JN4z

A HIV prevention drug that's taken twice yearly?! Together! ACT Now is excited about the potential this new drug offers so many people across the world. As an organization that works to reduce stigma and connect clinical services to those in underserved areas of Malawi, we see first hand the stigma that goes along with taking a daily pill that has anything to do with HIV. Changing that realty is not an easy or quick culture shift to make. A twice yearly shot could change compliance and thus change the landscape of HIV across the globe. So long as it is made equitably available. We are hopeful because Gilead Sciences has shared that they plan to "deliver lenacapavir swiftly, sustainably and in sufficient volumes, if approved, to high-incidence, resource-limited countries” through developing a voluntary licensing approach for the generic before the patent expires. If this comes to fruition, which we hope it does, it won't be an immediate shift. Even once the medicine is available, that alone won't change reality overnight. We will need organizations, like T!AN, to work in partnership with other global and local organizations to educate and make sure that people can get to the clinics or that the clinics can get to the people. This is an exciting time and we can't wait to see the impact! https://lnkd.in/gyStEmi8

👥 To truly #PutPeopleFirst in the HIV response, we must have diverse and accessible HIV prevention options. This HIV Vaccine Awareness Day (#HVAD), the Journal of the International AIDS Society (JIAS) calls for "concerted and collaborative effort across all sectors of society, including governments, pharmaceutical companies, healthcare providers, communities, and individuals to make HIV bnAbs globally available” in a new viewpoint, titled “The potential of broadly neutralizing antibodies for HIV prevention". 📰 Check out this viewpoint for free now!

A generation ago, before treatment was available, families, doctors and nurses could only watch powerlessly as patients succumbed to AIDS. My more experienced colleagues speak about how demoralizing it was to work in that era. The discovery of HIV medication was life-saving at the individual level, but paradoxically resulted in a growing population living with HIV. There was no single solution, and over the next decades a diverse array of public health interventions were developed to prevent the spread of HIV. Today, thanks to tireless efforts by advocacy groups, scientists, policymakers, and healthcare workers, many countries are on track to reach the United Nations’ targets for HIV control. (Side note, can the species kindly cooperate like this for other global problems?) I'm fortunate to be part of this evolving story, contributing to the next chapter of protecting this hard-won progress. For dissemination purposes, here’s the recent UNAIDS commentary in The Lancet that I was involved in — describing several priorities going forward.