Women most vulnerable to HIV infection

By Francis Kagolo

Activists have asked the Government and other health service providers to devise strategies of reducing women’s vulnerability to HIV/AIDS if the country is to bring down new infections and prevalence.

“We need the anti-HIV campaign to take a gender perspective, focusing on females,” said Florence Buluba, a member of the National Community of Women Living with HIV in Uganda (NACWOLA).

“Women are vulnerable to HIV. In most cases the virus finds them in their bedrooms at home. They lack the bargaining power over condom use even when they suspect their husbands to have HIV,” Buluba said.

HIV/AIDS prevalence increased from 6.4% in 2006 to 7.3% in 2011, according to the Uganda AIDS Indicator Survey (UAIS) report 2011.
The increase has been higher among women (from 7.5% to 8.3%) than men (5 to 6.1%). Although more women than men have HIV, those living in urban centres are the most affected.

According to the report, HIV prevalence is also highest among widowed women and men, standing at 32.4% and 31.4% respectively and lowest among unmarried women and men (3.9% and 2%).

The report shows that 11% of women in urban centres are HIV positive compared to 8% in rural areas. There is no urban-rural disparity in HIV-infection among men. At least 12% of women in age bracket of 35 to 39 are HIV-positive.

Speaking to New Vision on the World AIDS Day, Buluba attributed women’s vulnerability to mainly cultural norms, poverty and ignorance about the disease and their rights.

“Poverty has made women so dependent on men that they do not have any say during sex. Poverty alleviation projects can hit two birds with one stone — end poverty and reduce HIV infections — if they target the women,” Buluba reasoned.

She called on the Government to fight cultural practices such as widow inheritance, female genital mutilation, and polygamy, which fuel the HIV epidemic.

George Kalende, the anti-retroviral therapy focal person for Kamuli district, called for enhanced efforts to curb HIV among commercial sex workers, truck drivers, fishermen and other “most-at-risk” populations.

He suggested continuous HIV testing programmes among these groups and putting those found positive on anti-retroviral therapy. This, Kalende said, would reduce prostitutes’ chances of infecting their male customers.

HIV prevalence is highest among commercial sex workers ranging between 40% and 45%. At least 10% (12,500) of over 125,000 new infections recorded in the country annually are attributed to prostitutes.