Mary Karugaba
14 October 2008
Kampala — THE Uganda AIDS Commission yesterday launched a five-year national HIV strategic plan aimed at reducing the infection rate by 40%.
David Kihumuro Apuuli, the director general, said the new infection rate is expected to reduce from 163,000 to below 100,000 people per year by 2012.
This, he said, would be achieved through a maintained, well-established ABC approach complemented with refocus on cost-effective prevention interventions.
"The HIV/AIDS epidemic in Uganda is mature but also continuously evolving and different groups are now more vulnerable than in the past," he told listeners at the launch at Hotel Royale in Kampala on Monday.
About 1,000,000 people are infected with HIV. The strategic plan worth $2b is aimed at reducing the sources of new infections and expanding access to HIV and AIDS services.
"We also intend to develop and implement strategies for HIV-prevention targeting key population groups at higher risk and the general population, and also ensuring that all youth access life skills for HIV prevention," Kihumuro said.
The Government, he said would also increase the number of people on anti-retroviral therapy from 91,500 to 240,000 in the next four years. Currently, only 39% of those in need of the life-prolonging drugs access them.
He expressed concern that due to challenges in designing, implementing and supporting an appropriate response towards HIV/AIDS, the number of HIV-positive individuals is likely to increase from 1.1m in 2006 to 1.3m in 2012.
Emanuel Otala, the state minister in charge of primary health care, urged the Uganda AIDS Commission to utilise the plan well.
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