UNASO asks govt to increase on HIV vaccine research funding

By Ben Musanje

18^th May 2023

The Uganda Network of AIDs Service Organizations (UNASO) has rallied Ugandans to continue using all preventive measures against HIV infection as the world waits for the discovery of the vaccine and the cure drug.

Today, Uganda joined the rest of the international community to mark the World AIDS Vaccine Day also known as HIV Vaccine Awareness Day which serves as an opportunity to raise awareness about the importance of developing an effective vaccine to prevent HIV/AIDS.

UNASO Advocacy Research Officer Shakira Namwanje says that though researchers around the global including those in Uganda have spent almost 40 years without coming up with a complete HIV vaccine and cure drug, there is a need for Ugandans to continue striving to stay negative by using the preventive products and those positive to continue following the medical guidance as researchers develop the drugs.

The Uganda Virus Research Institute (UVRI) Director Vaccine Program, Dr Brenda Okech, says that there is hope that the HIV vaccine and cure drug will be discovered due to strategies developed.

Moses Nsubuga alias Supercharger, an HIV Advocate who has also lived with HIV since 1994 calls on the government to prioritize and also increase the funding of HIV vaccine research that is ongoing in the country.