BY HASIFAH NAMULI
Uganda still falls short of the 90-90-90 HIV target by 2020. Uganda’s performance data indicates that 90% of all adults of which 94% of women and 84% of men know their status while 88% of which 94% are women and 79% men diagnosed with HIV are on treatment. Among those on treatment 80% of which 86% are women and 70% men have their viral load suppressed.
Statistics also indicate that although AIDS related deaths have declined over the past decade, men are more affected in mortality statistics and this is attributed to their reluctance in taking up Anti-Retroviral Therapy as well as complacence in changing their sexual behavior. Their mortality rate stands at 61%.
These statistics also indicate a commendable 93% of pregnant women living with HIV on Antiretroviral Treatment.
Despite the fact that the 90-90-90 target is not yet met, Uganda is still on track and has registered commendable progress on this road to completely ridding the country of the virus by 2030.
However with the above laudable statistics, players in the health sector are now faced with a challenge of maintaining these figures or even improving them due to new challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Doctors say that people living with HIV stand higher chances of acquiring the Corona Virus and later succumb to it due to their underlying conditions of a weakened immune system and a combination of other issues.
This therefore means that people living with HIV must be given a special kind of attention as most emphasis seems to be directed towards the fight against COVID-19 which spreads and kills much faster.
But Mr. Victor Rwengabo of the Uganda Aids Commission mid North says although no health challenge over the past century has equaled Covid-19 in the speed of its spread, this is not the first pandemic that the modern global community has faced. He says HIV/AIDS has been with us since the 80s
He acknowledges the important differences between HIV and COVID-19 including transmission, incubation and infectiousness period, there is need to these dual epidemics, not by taking away from the HIV response for the COVID-19 response, but rather by supporting the co-existence of both and using lessons learned through HIV to fighting COVID-19.
Rwengabo who was speaking during a health journalists Webner interaction, implored the media to integrate HIV/AIDS messages with COVID-19 messaging if we are to register progress in the fight against both or even end AIDS by 2030.
Due to the limitations paused by the Covid 19 pandemic, People living with HIV have called on government to support them during this lock down that has put a halt to their livelihoods as this directly affects their wellbeing.
Government through the office of the prime minister launched a relief response fund to the vulnerable Ugandans that was disbursed to urban dwellers who depend on daily earnings of 100.000 shs through Mobile Money. However no consideration was made for special categories of people especially those living with HIV.
Now, HIV/AIDS activists are calling on policy makers to always consider people living with HIV as a special category of the population because they always face extra challenges in regards to adherence to ART services whenever there is a slight disruption of social services.
According to Lillian Mworeka from the international community of women living with HIV (Eastern Africa), during Lock down, people are forced to stay home and can’t fend for themselves.
With this people are left without food and other basic need yet for those living positively, this affects their adherence to ARVs as one cannot take them on an empty stomach given their adverse effects.
Mworeka says someone on ARVS needs to be well fed before they take their medicines and therefore a lack of food translates in to not taking these lifesaving medications.
She thus calls on policy makers and other players to always consider people living with HIV during Lock down in a bid to address challenges posed by HIV amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.
