We need to go back to basics of fighting HIV
A health worker analyses blood samples collected from people living with HIV/Aids A study has detected drug resistant HIV among 66 percent of infected persons in first-line treatment, who were grappling with poor viral load suppression. Photo/File
What you need to know:
- The issue: Fighting HIV.
- Our view: We appeal to all Ugandans, regardless of their age group or sex, to remain vigilant if our dream of ending Aids by 2030 is to be achieved.
This week, doctors warned that some Ugandans are contracting HIV/Aids for fun. Prof Sam Luboga, the Mildmay Institute of Health Sciences chancellor, said the so-called “bugchasers” intentionally go out to infect themselves with HIV in the knowledge that they stand to benefit from support for people who test positive.
Prof Luboga added that the current surge in new HIV infections is mainly because people no longer look at the disease as a death sentence.
The bugchasing claims come in the wake of Uganda Aids Commission’s 2023 report that showed 52,000 new HIV infections were registered last year. The report also spotlight 17,000 Aids-related deaths among the estimated 1.4 million living with the virus in the country.
Uganda has over the years been recognised for making strides in the fight against HIV/Aids. There have been a number of interventions by government and development partners that can be credited for the dramatic fall in the number of the HIV/Aids numbers since the early 1990s.
The HIV/Aids education through messages in the media, schools, religious and cultural congregations helped change people’s mindsets and warned them of the dangers of the disease.
Uganda also successfully reduced the cases of mother-to-child transmission. According to the Health ministry, two decades ago 30 out of 100 mothers delivered babies who were HIV-positive. Today, only three out of 100 deliveries are HIV-positive.
With the help of partners such as the US President’s Emergency Plan for Aids Relief (Pepfar), about 2,000 health facilities offer antiretroviral treatment to hundreds of thousands of Ugandans annually. These are among the achievements that can be noted.
However, all these successes are under threat by a certain section of Ugandans who are engaging in risky behaviour.
A report by the Uganda Virus Research Institute (UVRI) last year indicated that 73 percent of men who are going for female sex workers do not use condoms. The most concerning thing was that up to 83 percent of the 162 men who participated in the study were married, meaning their wives at home are equally at high risk.
This week, medical doctors and researchers warned that that retention on anti-retroviral therapy (ART), was declining, with 23 percent of the persons living with HIV dropping out of ART by June. This is not to mention the bugchasing claims by Mildmay this week.
We appeal to all Ugandans, regardless of their age group or sex, to remain vigilant if our dream of ending Aids by 2030 is to be achieved.
We might have anti-retroviral therapy for those living with the disease, but we must remember that it is very costly and we rely on donors for this medicine. As the old saying goes, prevention is better than cure. We need to go back to the basics of preventing Aids: abstain, be faithful and use condoms.
