More HIV positive women getting pregnant in Ho

Ho, May 9, GNA- More women who are HIV positive in the Ho Municipality are said to be getting pregnant.

A total of 17 women living with the disease got pregnant between the latter part of 2006 and March this year in the Municipal area. Mr Livingnus Acquah-Jackson, Executive Director of New Seed International, a Ho based HIV/AIDS care and support NGO revealed this to the Ghana News Agency on Wednesday.

He said 12 of the women between the ages of 23 and 36 had died of illegal abortion with three surviving.

Mr Acquah-Jackson said two of the women delivered but died later with their babies because they did not attend antenatal clinics due to their status.

Mr Acquah-Jackson said investigations revealed that the women who were jobless kept sex partners clandestinely for their sustenance. He said most of the women who do not look sick, hide their status from their partners and decided to give birth before they die. The Executive Director described the situation as worrisome and called on stakeholders to help women living with the disease to establish economic ventures for their sustenance. He announced that his outfit had establish a 1.1 billion cedis care and support centre for people living with HIV/AIDS at Sokode Gbogame near Ho for psychological counselling, nutrition education and palliative care.

Mr Acquah-Jackson appealed to the Ghana Aids Commission to assist the centre financially to offer the best services to people living with the disease in and outside the centre.

Mr Bright Kornu, HIV/AIDS Regional Focal Person who confirmed the story said he is aware that many of the women who looked healthy due to medication wanted to get married.