VP calls for more condoms

Aug 03, 2006

UGANDA has launched a campaign to intensify anti-HIV/AIDS efforts. The Vice-President, Prof. Gilbert Bukenya, has called for more condoms to be made available to his contemporaries to check the spread of the scourge that has risen from 6.1% to 6.4% as a result of complacency.

By Alfred Wasike

UGANDA has launched a campaign to intensify anti-HIV/AIDS efforts. The Vice-President, Prof. Gilbert Bukenya, has called for more condoms to be made available to his contemporaries to check the spread of the scourge that has risen from 6.1% to 6.4% as a result of complacency.

The strategy aims at universal HIV/AIDS prevention by 2010.

“I am a staunch Catholic but please release as many condoms as possible to protect our people from this killer disease.

“Don’t politicise condoms in relation with religion. My religion will stay here but my people are dying,” Bukenya said as he launched a 30-page strategy called “accelerating HIV Prevention: The Roadmap Towards Universal Access to HIV Prevention in Uganda” at Kabira Country Club.

The launch of the Year of Prevention was a resolution of the World Health Organisation (WHO) African health ministers in August 2005 in Maputo. Mozambique.

It is based on the June 2001 UN Declaration on HIV/AIDS endorsed by member states and the global strategic framework on HIV/AIDS endorsed by the 10th meeting of the UNAIDS in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in December 2000.

“The ABC (Abstain Be faithful or use Condoms) strategy is still the best but if our people cannot abstain or be faithful, we must equip them with condoms so that they can protect themselves because this disease is not joking,” he said.

Uganda has one of the best HIV prevention success stories in the world which reduced the national average prevalence of 18% in 1992 to 6.1% by 2000.

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});