By Caroline Kanshabe
According to the Uganda AIDS Commission, HIV/AIDs cases in Uganda are escalating, with over 1,000 new cases reported weekly, averaging a troubling 158 cases per day.
As we report this, globally, 39.0 million [33.1–45.7 million] people were living with HIV at the end of 2022. An estimated 0.7% [0.6-0.8%] of adults aged 15–49 years worldwide are living with HIV, although the burden of the epidemic continues to vary considerably between countries and regions.
Back to Uganda, in a comprehensive assessment by the Uganda Population-Based HIV Impact Assessment, the magnitude of HIV prevalence varies significantly across regions, from 2.1 percent in the North East (Karamoja) region to 8.1 percent in Central 1 region (Greater Masaka).
Dr. Cecilia Nattembo, Regional Medical Director at Uganda Cares, emphasizes the gravity of the situation, stating; “The distribution of HIV prevalence across regions highlights the complexity of the challenge we face. Urgent and targeted interventions are needed to address the varying rates.”
Dr. Jane Ruth Aceng, Minister of Health, acknowledges the persistently high levels of new infections; “While we’ve made progress, the current numbers still pose a risk to global commitments. Our focus remains on achieving the 95-95-95 targets.”
A report released on 13 July, by UNAIDS shows that Botswana, Eswatini, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Zimbabwe have already achieved the “95-95-95” targets. That means 95% of the people who are living with HIV know their HIV status, 95% of the people who know that they are living with HIV are on lifesaving antiretroviral treatment, and 95% of people who are on treatment are virally suppressed.
A further 16 other countries, eight of them in sub-Saharan Africa, the region which accounts for 65% of all people living with HIV, are also close to doing so.
“The end of AIDS is an opportunity for a uniquely powerful legacy for today’s leaders,” said Winnie Byanyima, Executive Director of UNAIDS. “They could be remembered by future generations as those who put a stop to the world’s deadliest pandemic. They could save millions of lives and protect the health of everyone. They could show what leadership can do.”
The report highlights that progress has been strongest in the countries and regions that have the most financial investments, such as in eastern and Southern Africa, where new HIV infections have been reduced by 57% since 2010.
The same report states that AIDS claimed a life every minute in 2022. Around 9.2 million people still miss out on treatment, including 660,000 children living with HIV.
Globally, 4,000 young women and girls became infected with HIV every week in 2022. Only 42% of districts with HIV incidence over 0.3% in sub-Saharan Africa are currently covered with dedicated HIV prevention programmes for adolescent girls and young women.
These come ahead of this year’s World AIDS Day, which will be marked on 1st December under the theme; Let Communities Lead. The path to ending AIDS runs through communities.
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