Abstract:

Human immunodeficiency virus infection and acquired immune deficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) is a spectrum of conditions caused by infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) [1, 2, 3].

HIV is spread primarily by unprotected sex (including anal and oral sex), contaminated blood transfusions, hypodermic needles, and from mother to child during pregnancy, delivery, or breastfeeding [4].

In 2015, about 37.3 million people were living with HIV and it resulted in 1.2 million deaths [5, 6]. Most of those infected live in sub-Saharan Africa [7]. Between its discovery and 2014 AIDS has caused an estimated 39 million deaths worldwide [8]. HIV/AIDS is considered a pandemic—a disease outbreak which is present over a large area and is actively spreading [9].HIV is believed to have originated in west-central Africa during the late 19th or early 20th century [10].AIDS was first recognized by the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in 1981 and its cause—HIV infection—was identified in the early part of the decade [11].

HIV was first confirmed in Ghana at the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research in 1986 [12, 13]. The infection has since spread to all parts of the country and is established within the whole society. The national prevalence as at 2015 was 1.37% with Greater Accra recording the highest prevalence by region [14]. At the Millennium Summit in September 2000 the largest gathering of world leaders in history adopted the UN Millennium Declaration, committing their nations to a new global partnership to reduce extreme poverty and setting out a series of time-bound targets, with a deadline of 2015, which have become known as the Millennium Development Goals. The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) are the world's time-bound and quantified targets for addressing extreme poverty in its many dimensions-income poverty, hunger, disease, lack of adequate shelter, and exclusion-while promoting gender equality, education, and environmental sustainability [15].

Since the first case of HIV was diagnosed, enormous national and international efforts and resources have been expended through the National HIV and AIDS response to contain the epidemic [16, 17, 18].

Following the Declaration of commitment of the United Nations General Assembly Special Session on HIV/AIDS in 2001, the Government of Ghana earmarked 15% of its health budget for HIV/AIDS activities with support from multilateral partners including the World Bank [19].

MDG 6 specifically addresses HIV/AIDS with the following targets;

To halt by 2015 and have started to reverse the spread of HIV/AIDS

To achieve global access to treatment for HIV/AIDS for those who need it by 2010[20].

The goal of this study is to review Ghana’s progress on MDG 6 using the HIV Sentinel Survey (HSS) report.

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