AT least 30,000 children are born with HIV in Uganda every year, the AIDS control programme manager in the health ministry, Dr. Zainab Akol, has said.
Akol, who described the situation as “alarming” to the future of Uganda, said urgent measures are needed to curb new infections.
“If urgent measures are not taken, we are losing out on the war against HIV/AIDS. It is sad that every year we register 135,000 new infections, of which 30,000 are children and 700,000 are women,” she said.
Akol was presiding over the hand-over of food stuffs worth sh16m from Micro Provident Uganda to HIV-positive patients at the Alive Medical Services in Namuwongo, a Kampala city suburb.
Akol, also a senior principal HIV/AIDS counsellor in the health ministry, urged people infected with AIDS not to spread it.
“I am humbly begging that if you know that you are positive, please start treatment and stop transmission. It is only this way that we shall wipe out AIDS in Uganda,” she said.
“Why should you give birth when you are sick with AIDS? Only do this if the CD4 count level has risen. We shall lose you and your baby.”
Over 1.2 million Ugandans are infected with HIV/AIDS with only 400,000 accessing anti-retroviral drugs.
“Even the donors who contribute 90% of the HIV/AIDS drugs are getting tired. Each time we go to seek more money, they tell us that if you want more funds reduce on your HIV/AIDS prevalence. This is not a good comment from donors,” she said.
She said this year Uganda got $235m (about sh440b) for HIV/AIDS donor support, while the Government has contributed about sh120b for HIV/AIDS support in the last two years.
Micro Provident Uganda chief Geoffrey Kitakule said they had earmarked sh100m for community support countrywide.
“People who are living positively need to feed well. That is why we are supporting them with food,” he said, while handing over a consignment of rice, beans, sugar and cooking oil.
The Alive Medical Services chief, Pasquine Ogunsanya, said the centre caters for 5,800 HIV positive patients.
“We have been providing food support to 900 patients but following this support, we shall raise the number to 950,” she said.
Each beneficiary got 10kg of rice, five kilogrammes of sugar, five litres of cooking oil and 10kg of beans.
“At least I am now sure that I have got Christmas thanks to Micro Provident Uganda,” said Jane Namugga, a beneficiary.
