The excitement that filled Dormaa Akwamu, a farming community in the Bono Region, during a free medical screening exercise last Tuesday suddenly gave way to anxiety and heartbreak when health workers discovered that some children who took part in the exercise had tested positive for HIV.
At the end of the exercise, a total of 253 children benefited. Of this number, 16 tested positive for HIV, including nine newly identified cases, while seven children already knew their status.
Additionally, 64 children were diagnosed with severe malaria and eight with diabetes.
Concern
The discoveries heightened concerns over the growing vulnerability of children to diseases and underscored the need for regular screening, early detection and stronger parental support.
The exercise, organised by Obeyeyie Care, a non-governmental organisation (NGO), and financed by the Obeyeyie family, was on the theme: “Save the Youth from Diabetes”.
The programme targeted 150 children between the ages of eight and 16, but 253 children eventually turned up for the exercise.
Carried out in collaboration with the Dormaa East Health Directorate, the beneficiaries were screened for HIV, malaria, blood sugar level and Body Mass Index (BMI).
Although the exercise focused on diabetes prevention among children and teenagers, HIV and malaria emerged as the most common conditions detected at the end of the exercise.
The Chief Servant of Obeyeyie Care, M. Kwame-Nkrumah, told the Daily Graphic that those who already knew their status were given medication after contacting their parents, while those with new cases were referred to the hospital.
He explained that children whose conditions required further attention were referred to the Wamfie health facility, where they would continue to receive treatment.
“We referred about 20 children for further treatment.
The hospital will continue their medication, and we will follow up with their parents,” he said.
Don’t stigmatise
Mr Kwame-Nkrumah appealed to the public, particularly parents, not to reject or stigmatise children living with HIV but rather to embrace them.
He advised children and parents to avoid behaviours that could expose them to the disease and urged those already living with HIV to stay committed to their medication.
On diabetes, he urged parents to pay critical attention to the eating habits and lifestyles of their children.
Parents
Some of the parents who spoke to the Daily Graphic commended Obeyeyie Care for organising the exercise to improve the health of children in the community.
One of the parents, Margaret Agyemang Badu, said the health and lifestyle of children in the deprived community would be greatly improved in the next 10 years if the NGO continued to organise such programmes.
Mrs Badu appealed to other NGOs and benevolent individuals to support the initiative to help prevent the spread of HIV, teenage pregnancy and save the lives of young people in the area.
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Source:
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