Public Health Nurse at the Ayawaso West Municipal Health Directorate, Doris Adams, has urged pregnant women to undergo mandatory HIV testing as part of routine antenatal care to help eliminate mother-to-child transmission.
Speaking on the Good Health show on Radio Univers, Adams explained that unlike the general population, where HIV testing is voluntary, pregnant women are required to be tested.
“What we do is that for people who are pregnant, it’s mandatory for them to be tested, unlike any other person who may decide whether to test or not,” she stated.
She added that women who test positive are immediately placed on antiretroviral therapy to protect their unborn children.
“When they find themselves positive, they are put on ART — that’s the antiretroviral drug,” she noted.
She further emphasized that this intervention is vital in safeguarding the next generation and ensuring that babies are born HIV-free.
“All these measures are to make sure our babies come out healthy and without the virus.”
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Story by Sandra Moses | univers.ug.edu.gh
Edited by Gabriel Tecco Mensah
