Uganda continues to register new HIV infections, which are at 52,000, according to the country’s estimates and projections for May this year.

Worth noting is that of the new HIV infections recorded, about 30,000 occurred among women compared to their male counterparts, where only 22,000 were infected.

In order to eliminate the risk of HIV infection, it is important that couples test frequently. In this regard, Godfrey Taasi, the programme officer for HIV testing services at the health ministry’s AIDS control division, advises HIV-negative couples or individuals who are sexually active to test at least once every year.

If you often indulge in risky sexual behaviour, for instance, by having sexual intercourse with people whose status you do not know or if you suspect that your partner is seeing someone else, then you can get screened after three months.

Taasi says this should not be a challenge given that the latest technology has the capacity to detect HIV within a month.

Couples in long-distance relationships as a result of work or those that are re-uniting should get tested every time they meet and before they engage in sexual encounters in order to be sure of their HIV status.

“Depending on the period of separation and how often you are meeting, it is a good practice to test every time you meet,” notes Agnes Nakanwagi, who is a manager at Mildmay Hospital, Uganda.

Nakanwagi adds that frequent testing should not be bothersome with the availability of self-testing kits.

“As such, couples can test their HIV status at their convenience. Couples that are getting married can test before they get married and then repeat the test three months later, in order to be certain that before they met, they were HIV-negative,” Taasi notes.

Polygamy

For couples in a polygamous setting where, for instance, a man has four or five women, it is a different ball game.

In that case, Taasi advises the man to test separately with each wife after three months because they are regarded as different couples. Taasi adds that, in the event that one of the women is positive and the others are negative, then counselling and prevention interventions are provided for the couple in order for them to decide on the way forward.

He describes polygamous relationships as high-risk, and, therefore, the frequency of testing among them should increase.

This is because the man may not have time to meet the sexual needs of all his wives, resulting in the temptation to have other partners outside the relationship.

Older couples need to test

Older couples staying together should not lower their guard either.

Recent data revealed that the country recorded a slight increase in new HIV infections among individuals aged 50 and above, for both men and women, compared to the general population.

This implies that they, too, have vulnerabilities around them and are actually exposed.

Taasi notes that provided the couple remains sexually active, they should test at least once a year.

For discordant couples, Nakanwagi says the negative partner should test every three months while taking pre-exposure prophylaxis drugs prior to and throughout their relationship.

Couples’ testing is vital

Most importantly, Taasi advises couples to test together, so as to strengthen the relationship and reinforce the component of initial trust. “Once there is trust, then couples start planning together, hence strengthening the shared vision of how and where they want their relationship to be,” he explains. It also creates a sense of responsibility. Every time an individual is tempted to stray, they then think of the bond they have created, the trust and shared vision, consequently fostering faithfulness and eliminating the risks.