As of May 2021, 1.5m people were estimated to be living with HIV in Uganda.
Kampala, Dec. 17, 2022: On December 1, 2022, Uganda joined the rest of the world to commemorate World AIDS Day. This year’s theme has been “Putting Ourselves to the Test: Achieving Equity to End HIV”.
Globally, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), 38.4m people were living with HIV at the end of 2021. Again, the global health body estimates that 0.7% of adults aged 15-49 years worldwide are living with the virus.
Africa remains the most severely hit region added WHO, announcing that nearly 1 in every 25 adults which is equivalent to 3.4% are living with HIV.
In Uganda, a UNAIDS report of May 2021 estimated that 1.5m people have HIV. It also revealed that 1.3m people were aware of their HIV status and an estimated 1.2m patients were on treatment.
With more interventions being put in by the government and partners, as of March 2022, the Centre for Disease Control (CDC) supported HIV treatment for over 700,000 Ugandans living with the virus.
“This includes 19, 875 pregnant and breastfeeding women, which represents 99% PMTCT ART coverage among those identified with HIV infection,” the CDC report revealed.
To address some of the challenges in the fights, what must be done in Uganda, and where should the starting point be? A couple of weeks ago, the Uganda Peoples Congress (UPC) party through its spokesperson, Arach Oyat Sharon, said “It is a big challenge.”
The WHO global statistics on HIV
- 38.4m people globally are living with HIV as of 2021
- Globally, 650,000 people died of HIV-related illnesses in 2021
Note: The above statistics were updated by WHO and UNAIDS in July 2022.
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“…. to achieve equity while dealing with HIV/AIDS in Africa since many of the primary health care facilities are not functioning very well. And for complex diseases like HIV, Ebola and Covid-19, all available resources need to be strategically mobilized to meet the target goals.”
Oyat also told a media briefing that the starting point is to make sure that there is total awareness about HIV. “This should guide how people can prevent the spread of the disease, its treatment and overall care of those who are affected without being stigmatized.”
Through scientific research, UPC wants people with HIV in Uganda and the rest of the World to enjoy longer, healthier lives by taking proper medication while following all the precautions to reduce the spread of the disease to others.
“This by implication demands national global focus to make resources available and offer free access to testing, counselling, medication and care amidst the total fight to end HIV,” she added.