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KQ3 Uganda (Measurements taken (Ugandan Health Minister publicly…
KQ3 Uganda
Measurements taken
- Ugandan Health Minister publicly acknowledged at a conference
for the world’s health officials in 1986 that HIV/AIDS had emerged
in Uganda. This then began the process of managing HIV/AIDS in
the country.
- The new government then established an AIDS control programme
in 1987 called ABC programme to educate the public about how to
avoid being infected with HIV/AIDS.
- In 1992, Uganda’s AIDS
Commission was established to
oversee, plan and coordinate
HIV/AIDS prevention and control
activities throughout Uganda. It
also forged strong relationships
between government, community
and religious leaders to promote
its message of ABC.
- A National Strategic Plan was
developed to address prevention,
care, treatment and social
support.
- Following the strategic
direction of the Ugandan
government, local
communities form ‘The AIDS
Support Organisation’
(TASO) to provide HIV/AIDS
health care services as well
as emotional and medical
support to many thousands
of HIV-positive Ugandans. It
is run by 16 volunteers who
had been personally affected
by HIV/AIDS.
- The openness of the Ugandan
government, coupled with the urgency of
the epidemic in the country, made it easy
for many international organisations to be
involved: International HIV/AIDS Alliance,
the United Nations Population Fund
(UNFPA) and the Supply Chain
Management System (SCMS).
How successful
-
More people are going for
HIV screening these days.
The no. of pregnant women
who took up voluntary
testing for HIV increased
from 20% in 2005 to 66% in
- Early medical
intervention can reduce the
incidence of mother-to-child
transmission of HIV.
Despite Uganda’s success in reducing the no. of HIV/AIDS following
an early comprehensive HIV prevention campaign, there are
indications that HIV/AIDS are on the rise from 2009 to 2012.
Possible reasons are:
Greater access to antiretroviral drug treatment reduces people’s
fear and urgency to get tested for HIV, hence increasing likelihood
of engaging in risky behaviour.
Complacent attitude towards HIV/AIDS after many years of
campaign (AIDS-fatigue).
Ugandan women tend to marry young and lack sufficient
knowledge of sex education.
Social stigma continues to marginalise people who are living with
HIV/AIDS.
HIV/AIDS
• Uganda’s most serious health concern is HIV/AIDS.
• The 1
st epidemic of HIV/AIDS is believed to happen in the
1970s in Kinshasa, capital of the Democratic Republic of
Congo. It is speculated that an infected person from
Cameroon carried the virus to Kinshasa which then entered
the wide urban sexual and transportation networks in the
capital. Very quickly it reached Lake Victoria, which is along
the borders of
3 countries: Kenya,
Uganda & Tanzania.
• Thereafter,
HIV/AIDS quickly
reached an
epidemic level.
• Uganda was badly
affected by early
1980s.
The fight against HIV/AIDS or diseases in general, is an on-going battle
not only for individual countries but the whole world as well. Diseases
are getting more resistant to existing drugs. Mass movement of people
across the world with advanced transportation make it hard to contain the
spread of diseases. There is an urgent need for international and regional
organisations, countries, local communities and individuals to work
closely together to confront the changing face of diseases in the 21st
century.
-
Challenges
- SOCIAL STIGMA associated with
having HIV/AIDS has prevented
many who are infected with the
disease from receiving antiretroviral
therapy, including children. There is
a general denial by many parents
that their children are HIV-positive.
- Problems accessing antiretroviral
drugs proves a big challenge. Many
prefer to get their drugs in towns for
the sake of anonymity, and it means
travelling long distances. A lack of
income to get proper transport,
many end up not able to adhere to
their treatment schedules.
- Uganda faces rising number of people infected with HIV in recent
years. This has increased Uganda’s financial burden and has had
an impact on the economy.
- Extramarital affairs are pushing up Ugandan HIV infection rate
because many adults have this perception that antiretroviral drugs
will heal them in case they get infected.
-
• Uganda experiences poor sanitation and inadequate health
care.
• Their patient-bed ratio is 5 beds for every 10000 people in the
population.
• The life expectancy at birth in Uganda is 53.8 years.