Teso community health workers get 110 bicycles for HIV fight
Oct 27, 2023
“As the epidemic is mature in the country, we are finding it difficult to identify the last positives, and yet it is very critical to identify them if we are to achieve epidemic control,” Bukirwa said.
Kumi district secretary for health Kevin Isoto (2nd L) receiving a bicycle Anes Bukirwa (2nd R) Director Uganda Cares Eastern Region. (Photos by Harbert Eyoku)
By Habert Paul Eyoku and Elizabeth Akiror
Journalists @New Vision
_______________________ Some of the beneficiaries feeling happy
In a bid to supplement government efforts to end the spread of HIV/AIDS in Uganda by 2030, the AIDS Health Care Foundation Uganda Cares (AHCF-UC) has distributed at least 110 bicycles to Teso region to support community health workers reach out.
The bicycles were on Thursday handed over to members of village health teams (VHTs), expert clients, and peer supporters who are supporting the HIV clinic in the Teso.
Dr Bukirwa Agnes, the regional director of Uganda Cares Eastern region, said the purpose of these bicycles is for the beneficiaries to reach the last person who is suffering from HIV/AIDS.
“As the epidemic is mature in the country, we are finding it difficult to identify the last positives, and yet it is very critical to identify them if we are to achieve epidemic control,” Bukirwa said.
According to Bukirwa, 82 percent of persons living with HIV/AIDS are the ones whose viral load has been suppressed, while 18 percent are those who have either stopped taking their drugs, transferred to certain places, or are deep in the villages and cannot make it to the distribution centres.
It is hoped that the distribution of these bicycles to the community health workers will help ease the work for the VHT members in making follow-ups of such cases in the community.
In Teso, six districts benefitted from this programme including Soroti, Kumi, Ngora, Kapelebyong, Amuria, and Serere where each hospital received bicycles. Soroti Regional Referral Hospital has received 20 bicycles, Atutur Hospital 18, Kumi Hospital 20, Ngora Fred Carr 10, Serere Health Center IV 15, Amuria General Hospital 15, and Kapelebyong Health Centre IV 12.
Kumi secretary for health Kevin Isoto revealed that as a district, VHTs have been going through a lot of hardships in reaching out to the people living with HIV/AIDS in their villages, but since they have received bicycles this will ease their movement up to the last person living with the virus.
Some of the beneficiaries also expressed gratitude after receiving the bicycles citing that they have been going through a lot of hardships, especially reaching out to the people living with HIV in the deep in the communities for lack of transport.
Lorna Asiira, a representative from Buffalo Bicycles, asked the beneficiaries to use the bicycles well. Each bicycle is valued at a cost of shillings 780,000.
According to UNAIDS, Uganda, for the period 2010-2020, recorded a tremendous improvement in the fight against the HIV and AIDS epidemic. It is among the eight countries in the world that had fully achieved the 90–90–90 targets by the end of 2020, the others being Eswatini, Switzerland, Rwanda, Qatar, Botswana, Slovenia, and Malawi.
The number of People Living with HIV increased from 1.2 million to 1.4 million. There was a tremendous reduction in new HIV infections among the various age and population groups. The AIDS-related deaths significantly reduced, hence reducing the number of AIDS-related orphans. Also, as a result of EMTCT HIV prevention programmes, the country realised a reduction in the numbers and proportion of children who contract HIV from their HIV-infected mothers.
The results of the 2020 Uganda Population-based HIV Impact Assessment (UPHIA) indicate that the current prevalence of HIV among adults aged 15 to 49 years in Uganda is 5.5 percent. UPHIA 2020 is a nationwide survey that was conducted to provide estimates of HIV incidence, HIV prevalence, viral load suppression, and other important HIV/AIDS program indicators.
HIV Prevalence
The prevalence of HIV among adults of reproductive age 15 to 49 years was 5.5 percent (7.1 percent among women and 3.8 percent among men) reflecting a slight decrease from 6.0 percent in UPHIA 2016-17 (7.5 percent among women and 4.3 percent among men). In the entire UPHIA 2020 survey sample of adults aged 15 years and older, HIV prevalence was 5.8 percent (7.2 percent among women and 4.3 percent among men) corresponding to approximately 1.3 million adults living with HIV in Uganda. The prevalence of HIV in adults 15 years and above was higher in urban areas (7.1 percent) than in rural areas (5.2 percent).
HIV Prevalence by Region
The magnitude of HIV prevalence varied considerably across the 11 geographic regions in the survey, from a low of 2.1 percent in the northeast (Karamoja) region to 2.8 percent in the West-Nile region; 4.2 percent in Mid-Eastern region; 4.2 percent in the North East (Teso) region; 4.5 percent East Central (or Busoga region); 5.5 percent in Mid-Western region; 6.0 percent in Kampala; 6.2 percent in Central 2 (Greater Mubende, Luwero and Mukono) region; 6.3 percent in South Western region; 7.6 percent in Mid North region; and 8.1 percent in Central 1 region (greater Masaka). HIV prevalence in all regions was lower in UPHIA 2020 compared to UPHIA 2016/17 except in mid-north and Central 1.
HIV Prevalence by Age:
Among both men and women, HIV prevalence was lowest in the 15 to 19-year age group. Among men, HIV prevalence was highest in the 45 to 49-year age group at 11.1 percent, and among women, HIV prevalence was highest in the 50 to 54-year age group at 13.6 percent.
Additional reporting was drawn from the Ministry of Health statement 2020.
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