Uganda on course of decreasing HIV/AIDs

Nov 30, 2017

Uganda has long basked in the praise of the international community over its swift and progressive response to its crippling HIV/Aids epidemic.

By David Serumaga

Tomorrow, December 1, 2017 Uganda joins the rest of the world to commemorate the World Aids Day.

I wish to thank those who have done a commendable job to make sure that HIV/AIDs is battled. Although it is not totally over, there is a visible improvement in people living with HIV. Uganda has long basked in the praise of the international community over its swift and progressive response to its crippling HIV/Aids epidemic.

Back in the 1980s more than 30% of Ugandans had contracted the HIV virus. Now the national prevalence rate is around 6% according to Uganda Population-Based HIV Impact Assessment  UPHIA report of 2016 an achievement attributed largely to the country's rapid acknowledgment of the crisis it faced, the roll out of national prevention and treatment messages and its embrace of open discourse around causes and solutions to the virus.

This indicates that Uganda has made significant progress in the national HIV response. Among women and men, HIV prevalence declined from 8.3% and 6.1% in 2011 to 7.5% and 6% in 2016 respectively. In urban areas, it also declined from 8.7% to 7.1% while in rural areas it fell from 7.0% to 5.5%. These declines in HIV prevalence are due to the intensified HIV prevention and treatment services in the country that lead to a decrease in the number of new infections in recent years.

All this has proved that right now people living with HIV/AIDs can be with a normal span of life never the less that their immunity is not that much good but the difference is seen from those who had the virus in 1980's. Due to lack of medication in 1980's patients had to be segregated from the community and die a mysterious way. It did not isolate isolate the poor and rich, mature or young, women or men all had to die. Today even those without money can also live with HIV which shows that Uganda is on course of eliminating HIV as President Museveni has been saying.

A vote of thanks the Government of Uganda under the leadership of President Museveni, the Kabaka of Buganda Ronald Muwenda Mutebi II, musician more especially Philly Bongole Lutaaya (RIP), NGO's, United Nation, The Media, Civil Society, TASO and everyone who has done a commendable job in making sure that HIV/AIDs is on decrease in Uganda.

Although the virus is on decrease, I urge all the people in Uganda to be careful and being each other's keeper. Abstain before marriage, be careful to your partner and if all these fail, please use a condom. To mothers who are pregnant, please go visit a doctor and protect the baby from acquiring HIV. 

The writer is the president of the Buganda Youth Wing

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