Category: Rokmer Health Tips

HIV Test kits to be in pharmacies soon as Ghana records over 23,000 new infections

HIV Test kits: The National AIDS/STI Control Programme says Rapid Diagnostic Test (RDT) Kits will soon be made available in pharmacies as part of efforts to control national HIV infections.

Dr Stephen Ayisi Addo, the Programme Manager, said ready access to the self-testing kits would ultimately lead to early diagnosis and effective treatment to reduce the infection rate.

He said the National AIDS/STI Control Programme had started piloting the initiative and people who test positive would be advised to report to a facility to start their treatment.

Dr Ayisi Addo was speaking at the launch of the 5th National HIV and AIDS Research Conference (NHARCON) to be organised by the Ghana AIDS Commission (GAC) in 2023.

The NHARCON 2023, on the theme, “Achieving HIV Epidemic Control Amidst Emerging Health Threats,” begins on April 25-28, 2023.

The Programme Manager said this was important as Ghana, within the first six months of 2022 recorded a total of 23,495 new infections of HIV, adding that out of this figure, men have a prevalent rate of 3.6 per cent and females had 2.2 per cent prevalence.

Nine hundred and thirty-two persons died of HIV out of the current 259,408 on treatment and the remaining over 101,500 are yet to be identified, he added.

“This is in excess of the estimated 19,000 new infections annually and lower than the previous year’s positive yield of approximately 25,000,” he stated.

The Programme Manager noted that the Bono Region continues to lead in prevalence at above 4 per cent for both routine and HSS data for the period under review.

Dr Ayisi Addo explained that the 2021 HIV Sentinel Survey (HSS) prevalence for Bono East and Ahafo were 3 per cent and 2 per cent respectively and remained in the top five for routine data for the first six months of 2022 aside Western North, Ashanti, Greater Accra and Eastern Regions.

He said Ghana’s dream of achieving epidemic control would be a mirage if the country did not regularly update the target population with information generated about them.

“Despite our progress towards achieving the global World Health Organization-UNAIDS aspirational 95.95.95 targets by 2030, our dream to achieve epidemic control remains a mirage.”

The 95-95-95 means that by 2025, 95 per cent of the total population of persons who are HIV positive should know their HIV status, 95 per cent of these persons should be on medication if tested positive and 95 per cent who were taking their medication should have viral suppression. However,Ghana as of December 2021, had achieved 71-99-79 of the set targets.

He said without evidence and real time data collected and disseminated to the people, to help in prevention, it would be impossible to achieve the goals no matter how laudable efforts and aspirations the country had put in place.

He called for the need to prioritize, fund dissemination and learning fora such as NHARCON as part of the prevention initiative to enable the country realise its dream of achieving epidemic control.

The Programme Manager noted that the need for data use for effective decision making had become urgent and called on stakeholders for abstracts that would contribute to addressing programmatic gaps within the national response.

He urged the Government to also use the opportunity ahead to build capacity of the teaming health workers and delegates to play a greater role in data generation, analysis and use for impactful interventions.

The conference is a platform to share ideas in support of the implementation of the current National Strategic Plan (2021-2025).

It also forms part of the GAC’s mandate to disseminate and share HIV and AIDS strategic information with its stakeholders and partners in the implementation of the National Response.

<p>The post HIV Test kits to be in pharmacies soon as Ghana records over 23,000 new infections first appeared on Ghana Health Journal.</p>

Scientists unveil benefits and risks of blockbuster weight loss drugs

While weight-loss drugs were linked to lower risk of some conditions, they were also associated with some adverse health outcomes. Blockbuster weight loss drugs can help treat ailments as disparate as addiction, blood clotting, and dementia – but they also come with risks that might give some patients pause, a landmark new study has found.

The analysis used data from more than two million diabetes patients in the United States, including about 216,000 taking the popular drugs, to map out their risks and benefits across 175 possible health outcomes.

Wegovy, Ozempic, Zepbound, and related medicines belong to a class of drugs known as GLP-1 receptor agonists, which are diagnosed for obesity or type 2 diabetes and work by suppressing people’s appetites to help them lose weight.

But the medicines are also linked to a lower risk of drug and alcohol addiction, psychotic disorders such as schizophrenia, seizures, blood clotting problems, infections, several respiratory issues, chronic kidney disease, and neurocognitive disorders, according to the study, which was published in the journal Nature Medicine.

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SOURCE: EURONEWS

<p>The post Scientists unveil benefits and risks of blockbuster weight loss drugs first appeared on Ghana Health Journal.</p>

Agrochemical Spill Contaminates River Tordze: Authorities Warn Communities

By Jones Anlimah 

A serious environmental incident has occurred following the spillage of agrochemicals into the Tordze River, a key tributary of the Volta River, after a truck carrying the chemicals was involved in an accident on Tuesday, February 18, 2025. The spill, which took place near Tove in the Republic of Togo, has raised significant concerns about water safety in parts of the Volta region, particularly communities that rely on the river for drinking, fishing, irrigation, and other daily activities.

In a press release issued on Wednesday, February 19, 2025, the Volta Regional Coordinating Council (VRCC) warned individuals and communities that rely on the river for drinking, fishing, irrigation, and washing to refrain from using it until an assessment confirms its safety. The statement signed by Mr Augustus Awity, Chief Director of the Regional Coordinating Directorate at VRCC, emphasized the need to evaluate the extent of contamination in the Tordze River and adjoining water bodies before allowing any human activity.

The affected areas include the Agortime-Ziope District and other downstream communities. As a precautionary measure, the VRCC has directed all Municipal and District Assemblies in the impacted areas to provide alternative water sources until the situation is resolved.

“We kindly wish to entreat you to help disseminate this notice,” the statement urged.

Authorities are continuing their investigations and monitoring the water quality. Residents are advised to stay updated through official communications.

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<p>The post Agrochemical Spill Contaminates River Tordze: Authorities Warn Communities first appeared on Ghana Health Journal.</p>