A glimpse into the fight against Mother-to-Child Transmission of HIV: Capturing stories of resilience from the field.

Accra, Ghana - The search for hope can be a challenging feat, especially when faced with a life-altering circumstance like being tested HIV positive during a routine antenatal check-up. For many expectant mothers in such a situation, the overwhelming fear of transmitting the virus to their unborn child can be paralyzing. Across the globe, there is a glaring disparity in the AIDS response; while 82% of pregnant women living with HIV and 77% of adults overall received antiretrovirals in 2022, only 57% of children (0-14 years) accessed ART—a striking difference in HIV care and treatment for children.

In a bid to bring hope, a UNAIDS-supported project aimed at eliminating mother-to-child transmission of HIV and assisting mothers and children living with HIV to reduce their viral load has revealed promising strides in the fight against HIV. The initiative, implemented by the NGO Mother2Mother, has made significant headway in ensuring that positive cases amongst pregnant mothers are detected early and given the needed intervention.

“Daabi daabi woboa” literally meaning “no, no, you are lying” in Twi, is how Adjoa Attaa (not real name), an unemployed mother of three, narrated her shock when she was informed about her status. She cried for days, feeling guilty for passing it on to her last child and only found solace through the counselling and support from the project task team.

“I couldn’t believe what they told me, I thought my life had ended. At one point, God forgive me, but I felt like ending our lives, but through the counselling of the task force I found hope to continue living” she shared, her eyes reflecting both pain and determination.

She sat playing happily with her daughter at the project facility as she waited in line to be served her drugs for the month.

“Knowing what I know now, this project has given me a new sense of hope, that both my daughter and I can live normal lives”.

The recent UNAIDS monitoring visit to the project site at GA West in the Greater Accra region of Ghana, provided a first-hand look int the UNAIDS-supported Mothert2Mother project to address the complexities of HIV transmission from mothers to their newborns. The project encompasses prenatal care, antiretroviral therapy (ART), counselling, mentorship and community engagement. A twelve-member task force on the project site has also been set up to reach more individuals.

Interacting with the beneficiaries and the project task force, the UNAIDS Ghana Country Director, Mr. Hector Sucilla Perez urged communities to participate in the HIV response dialogue to help find solutions for them. “We don’t want communities just as listening audience” he shared.

One of the standout aspects of the initiative is the emphasis on early detection and intervention. During the visit, healthcare professionals praised the improvement in the routine HIV testing for pregnant women, allowing for timely identification of positive cases and tracing of defaulters.

“We realised an increment in Early Infant Diagnosis (EID) services and viral load. We were doing averagely 15 cases a month but with this project we are averaging 33 cases a month…[and] because of the active counselling [through the project] for adherence, we are realising a higher number of viral suppression in most of the cases compared to previous years’’ shared Mr. Nmeterson Bertrand Nii Martey, an enthusiastic task force member; Mr. Nii Martey is the Principal Medical Laboratory Scientist for GA West Hospital.

The project's impact has seen headway in reducing HIV stigma and encouraging pregnant women to seek early medical care. Through the “Viral Load Week” community awareness campaigns and educational programs organized every month, the project has successfully fostered an environment that encourages open dialogue about HIV, dispelling myths and misconceptions.

"Previously people would not sit under a tent like this for fear of being stigmatised, but due to the advocacy efforts, they don’t only sit but are eager to learn," stated the Programme Director, Mother2Mother Ghana, Madam Yvonne Prempeh-Ferguson. She thanked UNAIDS for their support which has helped scale up the initiative.

As the project continues its crucial work, stories like Adjoa's serve as a poignant reminder that, more people need to be educated, and tested early to receive the necessary intervention where necessary. The impact observed during the field visit underscores the need to replicate this model in other regions grappling with high rates of mother-to-child transmission of HIV.