GAC launches ‘Heart to Heart’ HIV campaign to outdoor Ambassadors

    The Ghana AIDS Commission in partnership with Network of Associations of Persons Living with HIV has launched a ‘Heart to Heart’ HIV campaign to outdoor four HIV Ambassadors.

   The initiative was to provide a human face to the HIV and AIDS disease through open disclosure of HIV sero-positive by Persons Living with HIV (PLHIV).

   Dr Angela El-Adas, Director General of the Commission, launching the campaign in Accra said, “It is anticipated that by using ‘real’ HIV infected persons in this campaign, our message will be received by Ghanaians.”

   The campaign funded by DANIDA and supported by UNAIDS is to deepen the knowledge of Ghanaians in issues pertaining to HIV, in order to stimulate acceptable attitudes towards People Living with HIV (PLHIV).

   It is also to use the different channels of communication available to educate people on what it means to be HIV positive patient.

   The Ambassadors are Reverend John Amuzu and Mrs Lydia Amuzu, Joyce Dzidzor Mensah and Gifty Torkornu.

   She said the objectives of the campaign included advocating for gender equality and active men involvement in HIV programmes, advocating for political commitment and advocacy for sustained resource mobilisation for results.

   Others are sharing life stories of PLHIV to touch the hearts of people in order to provoke accepting attitudes towards PLHI and advocating for HIV testing and counseling as the key to prevention among the sub-population.

   Dr El-Adas said it was expected that the personal risk perception of people would be heightened and that they would take steps to avoid being infected.

   “Stigma remains the single most important barrier to public or societal action to visit their doctors to discuss possibility of testing and counseling for HIV,” she noted.

   Dr El-Adas said even when people were diagnosed positive; many were reluctant to seek medical treatment, which was readily available.

   Ms Dzidzor Mensah, one of the Ambassadors told GNA that she had been living with the disease for the past four years and on antiretroviral therapy.

   She said it had encouraged her to have a baby without any fear of transmitting the virus to the boy.

   “My son is now four years old and HIV negative, prevention of mother to child transmission of HIV starts with getting tested,” she added.