A nutritional scientist at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Dr. Charles Apprey, has highlighted malnutrition as a significant issue affecting individuals living with HIV/AIDS.

On the occasion of World AIDS Day, he urges the government to implement creative interventions in the health sector to enhance the nutritional well-being of those living with the disease.

Nutrition plays a crucial role in the care and management of individuals with HIV/AIDS, impacting their immune function. Improving the nutritional status of HIV/AIDS patients can enhance the immune system, reduce the risk of opportunistic infections, delay viral progression, and improve the absorption or tolerance of antiretroviral medication.

A research study on the nutritional status of HIV-positive clients undergoing High Active Anti-retroviral Therapy (HAART) at a public hospital in Ghana revealed a high prevalence of malnutrition among these patients.

A member of the research team and a nutritional scientist at Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology is Dr. Charles Apprey.

"I think the biggest trigger is the fact that if you look at the national prevalence of HIV-AIDS, you realize Koforidua is almost leading in terms of the prevalence. And that means, there's a high level of people or a high number of people in the region living with HIV."

"So, we decided to look at the nutritional status of HIV/AIDs patients, because usually there's a triangle between good health, immune system, and your nutrition level," he said.

Malnutrition Hinders Progress Toward Sustainable Development Goals for HIV/AIDS Patients

The prevalence of malnutrition among HIV/AIDS patients poses a challenge to the attainment of Sustainable Development Goal targets 3.3 and 3.4, which aim to halt the AIDS epidemic and prevent premature deaths from malnutrition.

Dr. Yasmine Hardy, an infectious disease physician at Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH), sheds light on the underlying causes of malnutrition among individuals living with HIV/AIDS.

"Quite a number of patients or people who have HIV have malnutrition, especially those who come in to start medications initiallyand they come in the advanced stage of HIV

By advanced stage, I mean that the HIV virus,has increased making it difficult for their bodies to fight against infection, "she added.

In order to assist HIV/AIDS patients with food selection, Dr. Charles Apprey advocates for clinicians to include dieticians on their teams

“Once you have HIV, it means that your immune system is already compromised, so I encourage clinicians to add dietitians and nutritionists to their team so that they're also able to help them to choose their food and their diets wisely.

But if you're able to choose your food well, what it means is that you're always going

to have the immune system working optimally," he advised.

The Ashanti region is one of the regions with the highest rate of HIV cases at 1.6%.

Although stakeholders are committed to reducing the transmission of the disease and improving the health of patients, Dr. Yasmine Hardy is worried about the unwillingness of HIV/AIDS patients to receive medication.

"Sometimes patients don't come for medication, especially when their quality of life has improved and that's a major worry to me as a physician" she bemoaned.

Patients have been advised to continue treatment after they have been tested and treated for HIV/AIDS.

An estimated 1.3 million individuals worldwide acquired HIV in 2022, marking a 38% decline in new HIV infections since 2010 and 59% since the peak in 1995.

While there have been significant improvements in recent years, there remains a need for continued efforts to combat HIV/AIDS effectively