Kakaire A. Kirunda
3 October 2008
President Yoweri Museveni says he is once again going to take the lead role in the fight against HIV/Aids that is reported to be faltering.
After successfully bringing down the prevalence rate from 30 per cent in pregnant women and 18 per cent in the general population in the early 90s to about five per cent by 2000, the prevalence is said to be increasing again and now stands at 6.4 per cent.
Mr Museveni made the recommitment yesterday while opening the Shs1.1 billion Baylor College of Medicine- Children's Clinical Centre of Excellence at Mulago Hospital.
The President had just been challenged by the Baylor - Uganda executive director, Dr Adeodata Kekitiinwa, to help out on the paediatric HIV/Aids crisis just like the case was with adults. "I am a soldier and soldiers take orders as they are given. I would like to assure you that you have given instructions to an already alert soldier who was waiting for it," said the President.
Mr Museveni, said for a start, he would popularise the prevention of mother to child transmission of HIV, whose uptake is very low yet the high number of 25,000 children born with HIV annually can be avoided.
"It is important that all pregnant women test and if found with HIV they are given treatment to prevent mother to child transmission," said Mr Museveni who had just been informed that a mere 13,000 out of the 50,000 children in urgent need were on treatment.
Meanwhile President Museveni alleged that the HIV/Aids problem is re surfacing because the Uganda Aids Commission is no longer as vigorous as was the case at the start of the crisis. He said there was need to reinvigorate the prevention strategies.
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Museveni and his aides stole/misappropriated GAVI money meant to treat the sick children of Uganda. This was done in his office with his knowledge and his direction. Now he has the nerve to claim that he is fighting aids ? The AIDES he should be fight are the ones he is surrounding himself with to pilfer the AID money that Uganda is awarded by the friends of Uganda around the world. Like the fight against international terrorism Museveni has shamelessly exploited the fight against aids to line up his pockets and cling to illegimate power aka Mugabe. Museveni's NRM time of using the war on terror and AIDS to manipulate the international community into bankrolling his rein of terror and, thus, enrich themselves should be condemned and stopped forthwith. Uganda needs and deserves a regime change.