World AIDS Day 2023: Sexual Education to Reduce High HIV Infections Among Youths
By Tshepo Tlhacoane, South Africa
On 1st December, World AIDS Day 2023, PLATFORM for the NEEDY (PLANE) joins the international community in mourning those lost in the AIDS pandemic. We reaffirm our commitment to reducing and ultimately eliminating new HIV infections in Uganda.
This year’s theme is: Let Communities Lead, and for Uganda, it is: Ending HIV by 2030, keeping communities at the centre.
Learn more about the global efforts on UNAIDS.
Current HIV Statistics in Uganda
The most recent statistics by the Uganda AIDS Commission (UAC) reveal:
- 52,000 new HIV infections in the previous year
- Total of 1,400,000 people living with HIV in Uganda
- 17,000 AIDS-related deaths in the same period
Women are infected at almost twice the rate of men:
- 30,000 new infections among women
- 16,000 new infections among men
- Overall, 860,000 women and 500,000 men are living with HIV
Factors Contributing to HIV Statistics
Several factors contribute to these statistics:
- Testing Disparities: Lower testing rates among men, partly due to stigma. One-third of people in Uganda hold discriminatory attitudes towards people with HIV, leading to avoidance of testing or hiding HIV status.
- Laws and Policies: Various laws and policies hinder HIV response and access to sexual and reproductive health services. Criminalization of HIV transmission and same-sex activities, and restrictive abortion laws contribute to higher HIV transmissions.
- Behavior Change Efforts: Insufficient HIV prevention campaigns and age-appropriate sexual education. HIV infections among adolescents are not declining, with two-thirds of diagnosed adolescents being girls.
Progress in the Fight Against HIV
Despite these challenges, progress has been made in the fight against HIV. In 2014, UNAIDS established the 95-95-95 targets:
- Diagnose 95% of HIV-positive individuals
- Provide Antiretroviral Therapy (ART) for 95% of those diagnosed
- Achieve viral suppression for 95% of those treated by 2030
Recent UAC statistics indicate Uganda is at 90-94-94:
- 90% of HIV-positive people are diagnosed
- 94% of HIV-positive people are receiving ART
- 94% of those have achieved viral suppression
Find more details on the Uganda AIDS Commission website.
At PLANE, we will continue to work in communities and spread awareness to reduce and ultimately eliminate the spread of HIV in Uganda.
Read more about our initiatives on our initiatives page.
PLANE’s Commitment
In Fort Portal tourism city, where PLANE operates, the HIV prevalence stands at 17.8 percent, the highest in the country, with Kabarole district at 10.6 percent. To reduce the prevalence, PLANE is committed to intensifying campaigns to educate people and move to schools to conduct sexual education and promote the utilization of condoms and PEP.
