Take that HIV test with your partner

Uganda is choking with absolute increases in the number of new HIV infections. This calls for a critical look at why these new infections are occurring.

 

One of the reasons Uganda has failed to stop new HIV infections is because many people including married (or cohabiting) couples do not know whether they are HIV positive or negative. Research has shown that awareness of ones HIV sero-status can motivate individuals to protect themselves or their partners against HIV infection. 

 

It is also considered an important entry point to diagnosis, treatment and care for HIV/AIDS. This awareness can only be obtained when an individual undergoes an HIV test. 

 

The United Nations General Assembly Special Session (UNGASS) country progress report for 2010 estimated that only 20% of Ugandans knew their HIV-status. It is partly due to this low knowledge of peoples’ sero-status that we continue to see high numbers of new HIV infections in the country. 

 

The Uganda AIDS commission estimated that over 128,000 new infections occurred in Uganda in 2010. A large proportion (43%) of the new infections occurred among married or cohabiting couples who had sex with only one person of the opposite sex, in which case the most likely source of HIV infection was through sero-discordance. Sero-discordance is a situation where one person in a marital relationship is HIV positive while the partner is negative.

 

The Uganda HIV sero-behavioral survey (2006) found that 5% of married couples are HIV sero-discordant yet about 90% of couples did not know their HIV status. Because of this lack of awareness about their sero-status, married people are not empowered to take action to prevent further spread of HIV. They continuously assume to be both HIV negative since they have never tested for HIV in which case, the chances of transmission of HIV to the negative partner in a sero-discordant relationship are high. 

 

A major barrier to couple counseling and testing is that couples do not see the reason why they should take the test when they do not have symptoms. There is also a common belief that a positive HIV test signifies unfaithfulness hence couples remain fearful of going together for the test in order to prevent marital conflicts. 

 

Other known barriers are the perceived stigmatizing nature of HIV care in the country as well as unwelcoming health facilities.  

 

These barriers to couple HIV counseling and testing should be eliminated through a concerted effort of the Ministry of health, civil society, private sector and other development partners through keeping knowing ones’ HIV-status high on the agenda by educating couples about the importance of knowing their sero-status and putting in place easily accessible couple friendly HIV counseling and testing services.  

 

Health facility provider initiated and home based couple counseling and testing should be routine. Everyone should be mobilised to create demand for HIV testing services within their neighborhood. 

Everybody should squarely be responsible for knowing their own HIV status to enable them receive early care in case found HIV positive, prevent transmission of the virus to other people including their loved ones as well as take necessary precautions if found HIV negative . 

 

Do not be like people who can answer correctly all questions about everything except their own or partners’ health status. Preventing new infections should start with you taking that HIV test and disclosing results to your partner or taking the test together with your partner.