Health experts in Mbarara City and other parts of western Uganda have expressed concern over the increasing number of people living with HIV abandoning antiretroviral drugs (ARVs).
The HIV focal person in Mbarara City, Ms. Dorcus Twinabaitu says many young women and girls stop their treatment a few months after being put into clinics and starting on ARVs. She adds that this is of great concern and alarming because these girls contribute to the spread of HIV when they return to the community, and the region is struggling to reduce prevalence.
ALARMING SITUATION: According to Twinabaitu, between October and December 2023, 3,441 young women and girls aged 20-29 enrolled in care, and they reduced to 3,273 from January to March 2024.
There is a significant increase in new HIV cases among young women and girls aged 15 to 29 in comparison to young men and boys of the same age. The high numbers of new infections are a result of many young girls engaging in unprotected commercial sex with men over 45, because of their economic reasons, which poses a challenge.
Twinabaitu says in Mbarara City, the number of new HIV cases from October 2023 to March 2024 is higher in women than in men noting that 628 women have been diagnosed compared to 408 men.
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She adds that the prevalence was high among young women, with 185 cases among those aged 20 to 24 and 158 cases among those aged 25 to 29 in contrast, to 34 cases among boys aged 20 to 24 and 91 cases among those aged 24 to 25.
Michael Matsiko, the head of Uganda AIDS Commission Southwestern region explains that the drop in young girls and women from care doesn’t reflect well in the fight against HIV since the aim of suppressing the virus to reduce the risk of infecting is not achieved.
He attributes this dropout to the people being ignorant of the dangers and also people getting tired of the daily drugs, and others moving from one place to another and trying to keep their secret.
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Dr Stephen Asiimwe, the head of Research at Uganda AIDS Commission also expressed concern over the increasing number of new infections that have led to HIV prevalence in the Ankole region being higher than the National prevalence standing at 5.1%.
Besides Buhweju and Mitooma which have slightly lower HIV prevalence, the other 10 districts and 1 city in the Ankole region, the HIV prevalence is higher with Mbarara district having the highest prevalence at 14.4%, Kiruhura at 9.5%, Mbarara City 8.1%, Isingiro 3.0%, Ibanda 7.3%, Ntungamo 5.9%, Sheema 7.5%, Bushenyi 9.2%, Buhweju 3.8%, Mitooma 4.7%, Rubirizi 6.1%.
95-95-95 TARGETS: In 2014, The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) launched the 95-95-95 targets to diagnose 95% of all HIV-positive individuals, provide antiretroviral therapy (ART) for 95% of those diagnosed and achieve viral suppression for 95% of those treated by 2030.
The situation in Ankole sub-region and the entire western Uganda has sparked mixed concerns, as stakeholders across Uganda argue that such factors hinder the country’s progress in joining the rest of the world to hit the 95-95-95 targets.
Moses Bindeeba, a person living with HIV asked the government and other stakeholders in the fight against HIV to recruit sign language experts at Health centers to assist the deaf.
Joyce Tibaijuka, a woman living with HIV wants patients to adhere to treatment, and the entire public to embrace testing to know their status.
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