Uganda's HIV infection rate rises to 6.7%

By John Masaba

The Ministry of Health has announced that the HIV incidence in the country has risen to 6.7%. At this figure, approximately two million people in Uganda are infected with HIV in  total, in a country population of 33 million. In 2005, the infected population was just 1.1 million.

The ministry of health released the findings on Friday declaring that 7.7% of women and 5.6% of men are HIV positive.

The Uganda AIDS Indicator Survey was done in 2011.

Announcing the study results, the commissioner for health services and national disease control, Dr Alex Opio, said the study had a lot of positive indicators.

“The campaign against sexual networks is working because the study shows that more people are abandoning multiple partners. HIV incidence is also low among the circumcised people, which shows that the circumcision campaign is working,” he said.

According to the findings, HIV is higher among women, the wealthier populations, the uneducated, urban women and the widowed.

At the last Sero-Behavioral Survey of 2004/05, HIV prevalence was at 6.4% in adults. Women, urban dwellers and residents of the post conflict northern Uganda region were more affected. Sex contributed 76% of new HIV infections while mother to child transmission contributed 22%.

In 2008, an estimated 110,694 new HIV infections occurred countrywide and approximately 61,306 people died from AIDS related illness.

Uganda last had a downward decline trend in HIV prevalence from a peak of 18% in 1992 to 6.1% in 2002 before it stabilised at between 6.4. High incidence shifted from such traditional risky groups as commercial sex workers and long distance drivers to those in long-term stable relationships.

Incidence modeling showed 43% of new HIV infections being among monogamous relationships.

The new survey now shows the widowed with the highest incidence, followed by the divorced, then the married/cohabiting and the never married coming last.