By Our Reporter

1st December 2022

President Yoweri Museveni has called for vigilance among members of the public to avoid contracting HIV.

In his speech as the Chief Guest during the World AIDS Day national celebrations at Rukungiri Municipal Stadium in Rukungiri district on Thursday, Museveni said that 150 people still contract HIV per day in Uganda while 17,000 die per year.

Museveni mentions Kalangala district as the leading district with HIV cases in Uganda with 16 people out of 100 tested positive.

Other leading districts include; Kyotera, Kabarore, Masaka, Gulu, Kalungu, Mbarara, Lira, Bushenyi, Wakiso, Kiruhura, Lyantonde, and Rukungiri.

Maracha district is the best with 1 person out of 100 testing positive of HIV and other districts with the fewer cases of prevalence include; Bududa, Kibuku, Namisindwa, Amudat, Nakapiripirit, Terego, Napaka, Palisa, Kotido, Karenga, and Kabong.

Museveni used the same platform to hail the electorates of Rukungiri for denouncing opposition and instead voted for the National Resistance Movement (NRM) party leaders in the 2021 general elections.

He also used the same platform to order leaders in Ntungamo and Sheema districts to remove all encroachers in Rusindura, Rwamabondo, and Kajara wetlands like it has to be done elsewhere in the country.

Uganda spends shillings 980 billion in caring for people living with HIV annually, according to the Uganda AIDS Commission.

Dr. Nelson Musoba, Director General of the Uganda AIDS Commission says that out of the total shillings 700,000 is used to care for each victim per year in the form of buying drugs and monitoring to make sure that the (drugs) are effectively used.

Musoba says that so far, 1.4 million people in Uganda are living with HIV.

Out of these about 1.30 are on drugs.   Musoba attributes the high prevalence of 5.5 percent to poverty among the people.


Friday 2nd December 2022 06:28:00 AM