HIV survey trainees warned against sexual harrassment

The HIV trainees include health workers, statisticians, counsellors among other fields of profession. 

The warning was sounded by medical epidemiologist at the ministry of health, Dr. Wilford Kirungi who said anyone caught in sexual harassment saga will not be tolerated.

He said punishment is termination of one's job at place of work as well in the survey exercise.

Participants during the training of HIV surveyors at Hotel Africana in Kampala .

Dr. Kirungi made remarks during the training over 300 participants at Hotel Africana in Kampala.

"Any form of sexual harassment and exploitation is unacceptable whether you are a supervisor at national and regional levels. Unwanted advances including using threats will not be tolerated," Dr Kirungi told the audience.

The government is rolling out HIV study titled: "The 2020 Uganda Population - Based HIV Assessment" (UPHIA) beginning at the end of January 2020 and it is to last five-months.

This is the fourth survey and it is held periodically since 2004.

The main objective of the study is to help Government and other stakeholders to know how many people are living with HIV and need health services. 

Other goal of the study is to assess whether various interventions government has employed are having an impact.

It's being funded by the Government of Uganda, in conjunction with United States Centres for Disease Control (CDC), Colombia University, the Uganda Virus Research Institute (UVRI), Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS) and Westat.

According to Dr Kirungi the survey is expected to reach 10,000 households across the country.

The expected number of respondents is 25,000 men, women and children aged 15 years and above. 

"Your taking part will the ministry of health to improve HIV services in the country," he said.

A cross section of participants during the training of HIV surveyors at Hotel Africana in Kampala on Monday Dec 9, 2019.

The Epidemiologist also warned the surveys against misusing resources such data for collecting information and vehicles for watching movies and going to discos at night respectively. 

Other tendencies participants were cautioned against include not releasing individual HIV results to LC1 chairmen as the information is confidential, provocative dressing, wearing colours associated to any political party and giving inaccurate data.

"Avoid provocative dressing and wearing sensitive colours associated to any political party,"

How the survey will be carried -out

Over 300 HIV trained survey participants will be dispatched across the country.

A team of 30 comprising of nine people for each group has been formed to conduct the exercise across the country

They will conduct interviews at the same time carry out HIV testing.

Respondents found positive would also go under CD4 viral load testing and samples taken to URVI.

HIV prevalence

1.4 million people are living with HIV.

HIV prevalence—the percentage of people living with HIV—among adults (15-49 years) stands at 5.7% while 53, 000 people are newly infected with HIV.23 000 people have died from an AIDS-related illness.

The 90-90-90 targets envision that, by 2020, 90% of people living with HIV will know their HIV status, 90% of people who know their HIV-positive status will be accessing treatment and 90% of people on treatment will have suppressed viral loads. In terms of all people living with HIV, reaching the 90-90-90 targets means that 81% of all people living with HIV are on treatment and 73% of all people living with HIV are virally suppressed.