Considering the 2015 report on HIV prevalence among the youth in Uganda, of the 83,000 new HIV cases recorded, 30,000 of those were boys and girls aged between 15 and 24.
This report also revealed that 66 per cent of the infected adolescents are girls.
Government needs to do more to reduce HIV infection among youths, Amakobe Sande, the country director of the United Nations Programme on HIV/Aids (UNAids), has said, the Observer reports.
Her comments were made during a visit to Baylor College of Medicine Children’s Foundation (Baylor-Uganda) at Mulago hospital last week.
According to Sande, the available statistics on HIV infection are alarming and call for urgent intervention.
“If our young people are now being ravaged by HIV/Aids and new infections, then we need to re-examine our programmes to ensure we are turning off the tap of new infections for what we are calling our future generation,” Sande said, urging that policy-makers need to work on strategies that curb the rising numbers.
Prior to 2015, UNAIDS report dated 2013 indicated that in Africa, Uganda is second to South Africa, where at least 2,363 get infected with HIV every week, compared to 468 for Kenya, 491 for Tanzania and only 25 for Rwanda.
Dr Zepher Ranyabokabo, from Ministry of Health attributed this trend to cross-generational sex and the use of money to lure unsuspecting young naïve girls.
“Go look at those posh vehicles parked at girls university hostels, those men are not picking or visiting their daughters but they are picking other people’s daughters,” Dr Ranyabokabo said.
Amakobe Sande says that Uganda will not be able to achieve an HIV-free generation with the kind of statistics we are seeing among young people.
She however commends Baylor-Uganda for its research and effort in making sure HIV patients get the best medical care to better their lives.
Having started with 100 babies in 2003, Baylor-Uganda has now grown into an institute, which offers care and treatment to over 7,431 children, youth and adults.
UNAids says that Uganda’s new infections as of June 2016 stood at 83,000, down from 100,000 in 2015.
The Observer confirms that this Organisation is currently advocating for the 90-90-90 target.
That means that by 2020, 90 per cent of people living with HIV will know their status, 90 per cent will receive antiretroviral treatment and all of them will have a 90 per cent viral suppression.
aaron@ugchristiannews.com
