Dr. Stephen Ayisi-Addo, Programme Manager of NACP, highlighted that inadequate testing and poor adherence to medication among pregnant women are major contributors to this issue.

During the 2023 dissemination of National HIV estimates, Dr. Ayisi-Addo expressed concern over the continued occurrence of newborns contracting HIV from their mothers. The PMTCT programme, supported by the Ghana Aids Commission and partners, aims to prevent such transmissions by encouraging HIV testing during antenatal care and providing medication to HIV-positive mothers to protect their babies.

“We are talking about covering about 90 per cent of all ANC attendance for HIV testing, so those who come in late do not get the treatment to prevent transmission to the baby. We need to be able to improve the ANC testing coverage. We need to improve so that people will have supervised delivery on their routine services offered when pregnant women come to the facility,” the Ghana News Agency quoted him as saying.

Current estimates show that out of 13,445 mothers aged 15 to 49 who require PMTCT treatment, only 12,108 are receiving it. Many babies contracting HIV are from mothers who missed testing during antenatal care. Dr. Ayisi-Addo emphasized the need to improve testing coverage and ensure supervised deliveries to prevent transmission.

The Programme Manager also pointed out that only 730 out of approximately 6,000 PMTCT facilities offer antiretroviral therapy (ARV). This lack of access often forces pregnant women to travel to other centres, which they may avoid due to transportation challenges. In response, the NACP plans to decentralise ARV distribution across all facilities.

“It is our aspiration and determination to make sure that we address all these issues and improve on strategic interventions to improve on the figures and reduce mother-to-child transmission to at least 2 per cent, which is an elimination target,” Dr. Ayisi-Addo added.

Additionally, postnatal transmission through breastfeeding remains a concern. Strict infant feeding guidelines have been established for HIV-positive mothers, but adherence is inconsistent, partly due to a shortage of trained service providers.

Dr. Stephen Atuahene, Director General of the Ghana Aids Commission, underscored the importance of strict adherence to treatment for viral suppression, crucial for preventing perinatal transmission. He urged HIV-positive women to maintain their viral suppression status, emphasizing that adherence is vital for ensuring the birth of healthy, HIV-free babies.

“As long as you can do that, you have a better chance of averting transmission to your baby and so adherence is very crucial to all persons living with HIV and taking the medication. This is so important for mothers because every woman will want to have a healthy baby and therefore you have to avoid any risk that will expose your child to infection,” he said.

The NACP is determined to address these challenges and aims to reduce mother-to-child transmission rates to at least 2%, aligning with the elimination target.