HIV Committee Concerned With Increased HIV Infections 

The Parliamentary Committee on HIV/AIDS has revealed with concerns that 1000 people get infected weekly with HIV/AIDS of which 326 people die of HIV weekly. 

This has been disclosed by the chairperson of the committee Sarah Netalisilire while addressing journalists at parliament as they prepare for the Parliamentary HIV/AIDs advocacy week that will commence from the 25th-27th of this month.

Kayagi noted that the new infections are mostly among the youth between the age of 15-24 which accounted for 37 percent in the year 2021 with a main lead in young girls.

She further said that though there are new infections, Uganda managed to register a decline in HIV/AIDS prevalence rates from 7.3 percent in 2011 to 5.5 percent as per the Uganda Population-Based HIV Impact Assessment Report of 2020.

According to the HIV report for 2021, success in the reduction in the number of AIDs annual related deaths from 37000 in 2016 to 17000 in 2021 with the new annual infections standing at 45000.

However, the chairperson Kayagi showed concern about 200,000 infected people who are not on medication having noted that Uganda has an estimated number of 1.4m people living with HIV/AIDs of which 1.2m are currently on treatment.

During this Parliamentary HIV/AIDs advocacy week, services like blood donation, HIV testing, cancer screening, female circumcision, and others will be offered at the parliament, railway grounds, and at a mini price.

The chairperson of the Uganda Aids Commission Eddie Mukoyo noted that the multi-sectoral approach to fighting HIV/AIDS has helped the virus to reduce although there are areas like Kalangala with high HIV prevalence.

Dr. Steven Watiti the chairperson of people living with HIV in Uganda expressed concern that there are still barriers for some people on drugs to take their medicine leading to a high number of people dying weekly due to HIV.

Dr. Andrew Kambugu, the executive director Infectious Disease Institute noted that there is hope that people living with HIV are about to get an injection that can take two months to reduce the burden of taking ARVs daily.