Participants at the ongoing 16th three days Annual HIV Update meeting taking place in Kampala have observed that adolescent youth Ugandan population continue to register alarming HIV/AIDS infections countrywide, partly due to lack of HIV awareness campaigns and limited number of Village Health Teams (VHTs) in the country.
Dr.Ssali Francis, the Deputy Executive Director in charge of Clinical Care and Research at the Joint Clinical Research Centre (JCRC), while addressing journalists at Imperial Royale Hotel on Wednesday, said a total of 1.6 million people are living with HIV while 1.4 million of these numbers receive treatment. He added that JCRC researchers have in addition; established that a total of 200,000 persons, mostly sexual partners to HIV infected people need to test for HIV too.
Dr. Richard Elion, while making a virtual presentation on Retroviruses and Opportunistic infections, said injections are safe to use in Africa to treat HIV opportunistic symptoms, because 80 percent of HIV patients in USA receive injections, and experience has shown that injections can be used in any part of the world.
Dr. Mary Adetinuke Boyd, Centre for Disease Control (CDC) Country Director, reiterated the need for Government and Development partners to train Village Health Teams across the country to increase HIV and Tuberculosis (TB) awareness campaigns. She said HIV treatment coverage campaign in Uganda is still less than 90 percent in children.
“We have improved HIV treatment in pregnant women but in children it’s still low”, she said.
Dr. Adetinuke added that; Tuberculosis is HIV accelerator opportunistic disease related mortality (Death rate), which is why TB treatment is essential to curb mortality rates.
Dr. Daniel Kyabazayire, the Ministry of Health Director for Health Services, while representing the Minister of Health, Dr. Jane Ruth Aceng said:
“Iam honored to represent the Minister of Health at the 16th Annual HIV Update meeting. Together, we reaffirm our commitment to ending HIV through collaboration, innovation, and strengthened partnerships for a healthier, AIDS-free Uganda”.
The meeting is being attended by more than 250 virtual participants and over 100 physical attendees. They include; representatives from Makerere University School of Health Sciences, Mbarara University, Kirudu Hospital, Baylor College of Medicine, Mulago Hospital and Mildmay Uganda Hospital among others.
The theme of the meeting is: “Advancing HIV knowledge, innovations, epidemic control and emerging research”.
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