‘9.1% women HIV positive’

By Catherine Ntabadde and Annette Birungi THE HIV/AIDS infection rate among women in Uganda has exceeded that of men, an expert has said. Mr. Aramanzan Madanda, a lecturer in the Department of Women and Gender Studies at Makerere University said on Friday 9.1% of women and 7.6% of men in Uganda have HIV/AIDS. “Adolescents are the most infected people with HIV/AIDS in Uganda between the ages of 15-19,” Madanda said. He was presenting a paper during an advocacy skills training workshop on women’s rights, sexual and reproductive health rights at the Grand Imperial Hotel in Kampala. The workshop, organised by the Ministry of Health and the Department of Women Studies, was funded by the World Health Organisation. Madanda said maternal and perintal are the leading causes of death in Uganda constituting 20.4%. “It is useful to note the leading cause of death and inquire whether it is accorded similar significance in the allocation of resources in the health sector,” he said.