The Western Regional Health Directorate of the Ghana Health Service in collaboration with health partners and stakeholders have set up a total of 225 Testing and Counselling Sites in the region to improve access to HIV testing. In addition, 364 health facilities are actively providing testing and counselling services for pregnant women to prevent mother-to-child transmission of HIV in the Region. Dr. Gifty Amugi, the Western Regional Deputy Director for Public Health who represented the Regional Director of Health Service made this known when the region marked the 2023 World Aids Day celebration with several activities. The theme for this year's celebration is: 'ART AT 20: LET COMMUNITIES LEAD. It is a call to action for communities to take up active roles in the fight against the epidemic as the country celebrates 20 years since the introduction of the Anti Retroviral Therapy (ART)'. The celebration in the Western Region commenced on the first of December with a health walk at Shama District and continu ed in the month with an inter-church debate and an inter-community quiz also at Shama District with a colourful durbar held at Shama District to climax the Western Regional celebration Dr Amugi commended the gains made so far in the Western Region in the fight against HIV as prevalence had declined from 3.1% in 2018 to 2.7% in 2021. She said through the adapted strategy, they have been able to test 97% of pregnant women in 2022 compared to 94% in 2021, 'meaning we are gradually inching to the total prevention of mother-to-child transmission'. The feat, she attributed to the innovative strategies adopted by the Region to reduce the spread of HIV. According to Dr Amugi, more positive clients had been linked to treatment, stating that as of August 2023, 90% of clients were successfully linked to treatment as against 83% linkage in 2022. She also emphasized the evident health improvement clients had gained since the introduction of Anti Retroviral Therapy. She noted that the Region would stop at nothing des pite the tremendous efforts made and would sustain the initiative that ensured that all positive clients took a viral load test at scheduled times. 'What we ultimately want to achieve for every client is U=U, that is (Undetectable=Untransmissible),' she added. Touching on the spread of the virus among the youth, Dr Amugi proposed that HIV/AIDS awareness and education ought to be intensified through innovative and youthful ways and all communities should refrain from stigmatization against HIV-positive clients. Dr. Amugi commended the health workforce, health partners and stakeholders for their efforts in the fight against HIV. The District Director of Health Service, Miss. Judith Naa Dedei Okai in her welcoming address, underscored the strides so far made in the district concerning HIV service delivery and highlighted the achievement of the district in HIV management. The District Chief Executive (DCE) for Shama District, Mr Ebenezer Dadzie admonished individuals to know their HIV status by taking advant age of the various innovative and convenient testing methods such as self-testing kits. He urged all stakeholders to strengthen their concerted efforts in the fight against HIV. In a solidarity message from the National AIDS Control Programme, the Programme Manager tasked the region to leverage the year-long celebration of the successes chalked with the introduction of ARTs in Ghana to further control HIV spread and improve health outcomes of positive clients. Other health partners and stakeholders present at the durbar were the Ghana AIDS Commission (GAC), Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs), Chiefs and Religious Leaders, quasi-health facilities, private organisations and training institutions. Source: Ghana News Agency