Greater Masaka adopts new HIV/Aids prevention bylaws
A health worker analyses blood samples collected from people living with HIV/Aids A study has detected drug resistant HIV among 66 percent of infected persons in first-line treatment, who were grappling with poor viral load suppression. Photo/File
What you need to know:
- The bylaws aim at ending discrimination of people living with HIV/Aids at workplaces, schools, health institutions and protection of children living with HIV against discrimination to help fight stigma.
Greater Masaka region leadership has endorsed new HIV/Aids bylaws aimed at strengthening and supplementing the existing national policies on HIV/Aids.
Greater Masaka region includes the districts of Kalungu, Bukomansimbi, Rakai, Lwengo, and Masaka.
The bylaws aim at ending discrimination of people living with HIV/Aids at workplaces, schools, health institutions and protection of children living with HIV against discrimination to help fight stigma.
The bylaws also legislate for the protection of the disabled who are HIV positive.
According to Mr Richard Musisi, the Executive Director at the Masaka Association of Persons with Disabilities living with HIV/Aids (MADIPHA), their organisation is among the different interventions adopted to overcome the different challenges that people living HIV/Aids go through in their respective daily lives.
“The bylaws aim at protecting persons living with HIV and preventing further spread at local levels through local legislation,” he said.
The bylaws also legislate for end to exclusion of persons living with HIV from credit and insurance services, liability for discriminatory acts and practices, penalties on intentional transmission of HIV, breach of confidentiality and exemption to creation of risk.
State Minister for Microfinance Haruna Kyeyune Kasolo, while launching the bylaws at the weekend, said: “I want to recognise MADIPHA’s remarkable effort in greater Masaka because the bylaws are focusing on all of us instead of those with disabilities which has been their normal lobbying.”
Mr Jude Muleke, the Kabaka’s chief in Buddu County, said the bylaws are in line with HIV/Aids national policy.
He appealed to the local leaders to harmonise the two documents and prevent the spread of HIV/Aids.
“The fight has primarily been for women, making it challenging for men to fight. Most men don’t know their respective HIV/Aids status. The Kabaka’s message is directed at men to be an integral part of the fight by testing for HIV/Aids,” he said.
He added that Buganda Kingdom encourages such initiatives in the collective effort to eradicate HIV/Aids by 2030, by making the services widely accessible in community health centres and eliminating stigma, which he claimed is one of the disease’s propagation mechanisms.
Background
According to preliminary results of the 2020 Uganda Population HIV Impact Assessment conducted by the Uganda Population-based HIV Impact Assessment (UPHIA), the current prevalence of HIV among adults aged 15 to 49 in Uganda is 5.5 percent.
UPHIA 2020 is a nationwide survey that was conducted to provide estimates of HIV incidence, HIV prevalence, viral load suppression, and other important HIV/Aids programme indicators.
