HIV cases dropping in Lango

HIV cases in Lango sub region are dropping due to health education, behavioral change and Safe Male Circumcision (SMC).

The epidemic has come down from 8.3% at the peak of Lord`s Resistance Army (LRA) war in 2005 to 5.8% according to Dr. Boniface Bongonyinge, the clinical care coordinator for HIV services at Lira Regional Referral Hospital.

He said the cases were shooting up simply because health workers were targeting the wrong groups but now they have identified and things are getting better.

"Right now we are targeting commercial sex workers, truck drivers and people in uniform," Dr Bongonyinge said Tuesday.   

At least 12,600 people have been enrolled on Anti-Retroviral drugs (ARVs) among them are 1100 children below 15.

"We are looking for HIV from the right source. Everyone who comes to get medical treatment from Out Patients Department is tested for HIV," Dr Bonyonyinge said.    

According to Uganda Aids Commission about 400 new infections occur daily and approximately 150,000 annually. The national figure of HIV prevalence stands at 7.3 percent.

Dr Bongonyinge also explained that the figures arereducing because people have learnt how to use condoms correctly.

"Correct way of using condom and safe male circumcision has also attributed to the drop of the rate of infections," he said.

According to a report from health officials the challenges facing the government to achieve the targeted zero infections are rooted in bad cultural practices like inheriting widows and widowers, promiscuity, polygamy and in some instances, rape.