

24 October 2024, 6:57 pm
By Ronald Ssemagonja
The Uganda AIDS Commission (UAC) was established by an Act of Parliament (Cap 206) with the mandate to overseeing, planning and coordinating HIV and AIDS prevention and control interventions throughout Uganda. In June 2017, the President of Uganda, Yoweri Museveni, launched the Presidential Fast Track Initiative (PFTI) towards ending AIDS as a public health threat by 2030. Against this background, the Chairperson of Uganda AIDS Commission Board, Dr. Canon Ruth Senyonga, launched the “Wear a Red Ribbon” campaign following the announcement of the national AIDS Symposium by the Acting Director General of the Uganda AIDS Commission, Dr. Vincent Bagambe.
This year’s National AIDS Symposium will be held at Office of the President Conference Hall on November 13th, 2024, under the Theme, “Accelerating interventions to end AIDS by 2023.” According to Dr. Bagambe, the directive by the president in 2017, coordinated by UAC, has guided stakeholders to implement cost-effective HIV prevention and care interventions, which have positively impacted the epidemic. Since then, the country has made significant progress towards the PFTI goal. The HIV prevalence reduced from 68,000 to 38,000 and AIDS-related deaths decreased from 30,000 to 20,000. Currently there are about 1.49 million people living with HIV in Uganda, of whom 92% know their positive HIV status and over 90% of these are on the life-saving ARVs.
Dr. Bagambe noted that in 2024, 4700 babies with HIV infections acquired it from their mothers, even though treatment is available at the various health facilities across the country that can prevent mother-to-child transmission of HIV. However, despite of the successes, the epidemic remains generalised with pockets of concentration among key and vulnerable groups. “HIV prevalence is higher among adolescent girls and young woman. Almost four times higher than in their male counterparts. Of the 38,000 new HIV infections recorded, 22,000 occurred among women, especially adolescent and young women aged 15 to 24 years.” he confirmed. Uganda is unlikely to meet the 2025 target of 18,000 new HIV infections annually. Prevalence among sex workers remains high.
In her statement, the Chairperson of the UAC Board, Canon Ruth Senyonga, requested that massages on HIV stigma be widely disseminated so that people with HIV can live in a stigma-free world. “The government has set aside close to 700,000 Ugandan Shillings to maintain one person living with HIV on treatment. The issue of mother-to-child transmission needs to be addressed using available preventive measures so that resources can be directed towards other socioeconomic needs” she said. She emphasised the need to encourage people to prioritise prevention, as it is better than cure. “Our focus will continue to be heavily on prevention. I implore especially young people to avoid risky situations that could expose them to acquiring HIV. If you are positive, always take and adhere to your medications as advised by a health worker.” she said.
Jackie Makokha, the UNAIDS Country Director, stated that, gender inequality is exacerbating the pandemic, with young people, especially adolescent girls and young women, disproportionately affected by HIV. She acknowledged that globally, efforts to end the epidemic are still off target but confirmed continuous support to Uganda.