UGANDA: Adult HIV infections rise to seven percent
UN Integrated Regional Information Networks - May 5, 2005
http://www.aegis.org/news/irin/2005/IR050510.html
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United
Nations]
KAMPALA, 5 May (PLUSNEWS) - An estimated seven percent of Uganda's
adult population is living with HIV/AIDS, up from previous estimates
of 6.2 percent, the ministry of health said on Tuesday.
In a report of preliminary findings of a national survey, the ministry
indicated that approximately 800,000 people in the East African
country were HIV-positive.
Ministry of health officials attributed the difference between the two
HIV prevalence figures to the methods used to collect data. While this
latest survey is based on a nationwide sample of people who
voluntarily gave their blood to be tested for the virus, previous
HIV/AIDS data was based on records from major hospitals and antenatal
clinics.
To get more realistic statistics regarding the HIV/AIDS situation in
the country for planning purposes, authorities last year launched the
HIV/AIDS Sero-Behavioural Survey, funded by the US Agency for
International Development, the Japanese government and the US Center
for Disease Control.
The survey included interviews and blood samples from 18,000 men and
women aged between 15 and 59, from different regions of the country
and from rural and urban areas.
"Women are more likely to have HIV infection than men overall - 7.9
percent of women have HIV, compared to 6 percent of men," the report
said.
"Adults living in urban areas are almost twice as likely to be
infected with HIV as those in rural areas (10.7 percent versus 6.4
percent)," it added.
Ninety-nine percent of women and men had heard of HIV/AIDS and the
vast majority know the major means of protection - abstinence, being
faithful and using condoms, the ministry said.
Uganda has won accolades for its aggressive campaign against HIV/AIDS,
managing to bring levels down from more than 20 percent in the 1980s,
to its current seven percent.
The government has however, recently faced some criticism for a
perceived policy shift in favour of the abstinence approach and away
from the use of condoms in the fight against the HIV/AIDS.
Uganda has seen close to one million people die due to the pandemic,
78,000 of them in 2003 alone. More than 700,000 children have lost at
least one parent to the disease, according to UNAIDS statistics.
050505
IR050510
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Copyright © 2005 - Integrated Regional Information Network (IRIN).
Reproduction of this article (other than one copy for personal
reference) must be cleared through the Integrated Regional Information
Network. .
AEGiS is made possible through unrestricted grants from Boehringer
Ingelheim, Elton John AIDS Foundation, Bridgestone/Firestone
Charitable Trust, the National Library of Medicine, and donations from
users like you. Always watch for outdated information. This article
first appeared in 2005. This material is designed to support, not
replace, the relationship that exists between you and your doctor.
AEGiS presents published material, reprinted with permission and
neither endorses nor opposes any material. All information contained
on this website, including information relating to health conditions,
products, and treatments, is for informational purposes only. It is
often presented in summary or aggregate form. It is not meant to be a
substitute for the advice provided by your own physician or other
medical professionals. Always discuss treatment options with a doctor
who specializes in treating HIV.
Copyright ©1980, 2005. AEGiS. All materials appearing on AEGiS are
protected by copyright as a collective work or compilation under U.S.
copyright and other laws and are the property of AEGiS, or the party
credited as the provider of the content.
To login:http://webboard.aegis.org/WB/?boardID=2
