Uganda says it’s making great progress towards its goal of having an HIV free population by 2030.
HIV rates in Uganda have dropped by 1.3% in the last five years.
Health officials have attributed this success to the prevention strategies.
“From identification through testing, linking to care and making sure that all those that have been linked to care are effectively treated, tested for viral load through the monitoring systems that we have and that they have suppressed their viral load. It’s going to be something that we are going to work on very aggressively.” Dr Lisa Nelson- Center for disease control said
The survey shows Uganda has done well in bringing down infections in new-borns.
But it’s still dealing with high incidences of the disease in adolescents.
HIV campaigners are excited about the encouraging news but say more needs to be done.
“We are glad to see that the prevalence of HIV is now 6% in adults, lower than previous studies. While the infection rate in children is very low, we need to work together to ensure zero new infections in children” Dr Nelson further said
The results from the study also show that almost 60% of infected adults have minimal levels of the HIV virus in their bodies.
This means they will live longer without complications from HIV.
Previously there were worries that the country was slipping on the fight against HIV, but there is renewed hope now.
Uganda’s ministry of health says it’s working on more awareness campaigns about the dangers of the virus.
And with more commitment from the US to continue funding HIV programs, there is hope that the rates of infection will even go lower.
