HIV survey starts

PIC: Dr. Emmy Muramuzi, the national UPHIA survey coordinator sensitizing the media fraternity about the project at Colline Hotel Mukono on Wednesday. Photos/ Henry Nsubuga

The Ministry of Health has called upon Ugandans to support the Uganda Population-based HIV Impact Assessment (UPHIA) survey which kicked off on August 8, 2016.

Dr. Emmy Muramuzi, the national UPHIA survey coordinator said the campaign will start in Makindye division in Kampala Capital City Authority, Lira and Tororo districts. The survey is expected to last for seven months.

Muramuzi said the countrywide survey which is aimed at establishing the magnitude of HIV in Uganda will have 33,642 participants enumerated from 13,436 households.

"This survey will help us come up with the current HIV prevalence rate in Uganda, the number of new HIV infections and how people who are HIV positive are accessing health services in terms of care, prevention and treatment," Muramuzi said on Wednesday during a half-day sensitization workshop to the media.

He said the survey will have two categories of people involved including participants aged 0-14 years and 15-64 years who will be interviewed and tested with HIV, Syphilis and Hepatitis B.

 
Uganda last conducted the similar HIV/AIDS prevalence survey in 2011 which indicated that 7.3 percent of the Ugandans where infected by the virus.

This project will be conducted by Ministry of Health in collaboration with ICAP at Columbia University, Uganda Virus Research Institute (UVRI), Uganda Bureau of Standards (UBOS), WESTAT and ICF Macro with support from the U.S President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) through the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Muramuzi added that UPHIA data will help Uganda sustain its achievements in responding to HIV and help improve the response in future.

Sophie Nalutaya, the project public relations officer stressed that the in-home HIV counseling and testing will be voluntary.

Nalutaya said participants who will test positive to HIV and Hepatitis B will be referred to care and treatment facilities whereas those who will test positive to syphilis will be given treatment at home.

"Those who are HIV positive can receive CD4 and viral load testing as well. We assure the public that the survey responses and test results are confidential," she said adding that the UPHIA survey staff have been fully trained to protect confidentiality.

According to the Ministry of Health, the total number of estimated people living with HIV as at the end of 2015 is 1,461,756. On that number, men are 622,180 (42.6%), women are 839,576 (57.4%), adults are 1,366,107 (93.5) and children 95,649 (6.5).