Dr. Stephen Ayisi-Addo, the programme manager of the National AIDS Control Programme (NACP) has asked the clergy not to refuse to bless marriages of persons living with HIV (PLHIV).

He said getting married to an HIV-positive person is not dangerous as perceived by many because antiretroviral treatment suppresses the virus and stops it from spreading.

Dr. Ayisi-Addo spoke to the Ghana News Agency (GNA) on the sidelines of the 20th-anniversary celebration media launch of antiretroviral treatment in Ghana. 

An estimated 354,927 people are currently living with HIV in Ghana.

Out of this, seven percent are children aged zero to four (0-4) years, six percent represent adolescents aged 10-19, and the remaining 87 percent are adults.

As of December 2023, Ghana’s HIV current prevalence rate stood at 1.7 percent of the general population.

The prevalence, however, is much higher amongst key populations, particularly female sex workers which is 4.6 percent, and 26 percent for men who have sex with men.

In December 2003, Ghana began the treatment of HIV through Antiretroviral Therapy (ART) which keeps affected persons stronger and increases their life expectancy.

The Programmes Manager of the NACP said ideally, any HIV-positive patient on ART treatment with strict adherence should have viral suppression within six months, adding that contacts of such persons would not be affected by the virus.

“Religiously, we are talking to pastors not to deny anybody who is HIV a marriage blessing, they should rather be encouraged to marry because love is bigger than HIV.”

“People are surviving with HIV today more than other disease conditions,  we need  to encourage pastors to bless such marriages and encourage people with HIV  to marry as well, once there are no exclusion criteria for people who have any other diseases not to marry", he said.

“I have a lot of clients who are serodiscordant couples, one is positive, one is negative and they have given birth to three, four children who are all negative. So why do you deny anybody?

“As long as they’re taking their medications, they’re not going to pass the virus to their spouses and children,” he added.

He said HIV-positive patients must be encouraged and supported to ensure adherence to viral suppression to prevent further spread.

“A lot of work in terms of reinforcing adherence needs to be done because sometimes it becomes a chronic disease like hypertension, diabetes, and people get tired, some also go to herbalists, and prayer camps just because of stigmatisation, social reasons, and long distance to the treatment sites among others", he said.

Dr. Ayisi Addo added that plans were in place to ensure the number of ART sites was increased to enable clients to get the medicines closer to their doorstep.

He said at the moment, there are about 800 ART sites although the country has close to 6,000 health facilities.

“Ideally, all the health facilities should have the drug so that people can access it. So, part of this celebration is to reinforce adherence and all the things it takes to showcase the success stories”, he added.

He said some HIV-positive persons had not attained viral suppression due to a lack of adherence to medications.

The Programme Manager called on the public to be supportive and stop stigmatisation against HIV persons and encourage them to avail themselves of treatment. 

He said the NACP was in the process of formulating strategies to address issues of stigmatisation.

He also called on the public to support the AIDS fund and sustain the fight against stigmatisation to achieve epidemic control.