By Nasser Kasozi Akandwanaho
The government has called for more efforts that can increase campaigns targeting to accelerate HIV prevention messages and skilling programs among young people.
This was made by the Minister of the Presidency, Babirye Milly Babalanda, on Wednesday, November 13th, 2024, while presiding over the 3rd National HIV and AIDS Symposium held at her office.
The event that combines four important activities, including the presentation of the Annual Joint AIDS Review Report, the Philly Lutaaya Memorial Lecture, the Scientific Forum, and the Partnership Forum was held under the theme “Accelerating Interventions to End AIDS by 2030.”.
“This theme is carefully chosen by the government because, while we have made progress spanning over 40 years since AIDS was discovered, we need to accelerate our speed as a country to ensure that we hit the global target of ending AIDS by 2030 as public health,” Minister Babalanda said.
The national HIV prevalence has come down from 18% in the general population in the 1980s to 5.1% currently, and new infections have reduced to 38,000 and AIDS-related deaths have reduced to 19,000, according to the Minister.
“15,000 of the new HIV infections in 2024 were among young people. Moreover, 12,000 of these were young girls. This age group 15-24 is the most productive one,” she noted while quoting the Joint AIDS Review (JAR) presentation.
The minister said the government has put in place programs that target this age group, such as skilling, the parish development model, and Emyooga.
“We must reach these adolescents and young women wherever they are with HIV prevention messages and skilling programs that will improve their daily and monthly earnings. Only then can they avoid transactional sex and commercial sex work,” she said.
According to Minister Babalanda, she has instructed all RDCs and RCCs to continue utilizing the available airtime allocated for government programs to disseminate HIV prevention messages so that the general communities can be empowered with HIV information to safeguard themselves.
In 2023, a total of 4,700 babies were born with HIV, and according to Minister Babalanda, there is still more need to escalate HIV awareness to prevent mother-to-child transmission of HIV.
She applauded President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni for taking great strides in the fight against HIV and urged all stakeholders to use the Presidential Fast Track Initiative to end AIDS as a public health threat by 2030.
The Ministry of Finance, Planning, and Economic Development instructed all ministries, departments, and local governments to allocate 0.1% to implement HIV prevention interventions.
This commitment will not only help in the prevention of HIV but also contribute to the achievement of our Vision 2040 of becoming “a transformed society from a peasant to a modern prosperous country.”
This year’s World AIDS Day 2024 will be commemorated in Buyende District, Bukungu Town Council, on 2nd December, and President Museveni is expected to be the chief guest.
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