Government Urged To Lift Ban On Facebook As Uganda Marks Day Of Access To Information
Shift Media News 
By AWORI ESTHER LUCY
KAMPALA-SHIFTMEDIA– All is set for this year’s National HIV and AIDS Scientific Meeting slated for November 16-18.
Uganda AIDS Commission (UAC) will host the event in partnership with Uganda National Academy of Science.
The National Academy of Science is the secretariat of Research, Academia, Science and Professional Bodies Associations (RASP).
The meeting that is bi- annual ( happening every two years) will showcase UAC’s coordination framework mainly consisting of abstracts, selected state of the art and peer reviewed presentations on different aspects of HIV and AIDS.
UAC Director General Dr. Nelson Musooba told the press that this particular meeting will be used as an opportunity for the country to reflect on the preparedness for the upcoming ICASA 2021 due in December 2021.
“Due to the unprecedented consequences caused by the Covid 19 epidemic, the meeting will be held in a triplicate of the Annual Joint AIDS Review (JAR) and commemoration of the Philly Lutaaya Day,” he said.
The JAR is a platform that is used to validate the achievements the country has made in the implementation of National HIV and AIDS Strategic Plan 2020-2021, while the Philly Lutaaya day is held annually for the country to honor Philly Bongole Lutaaya a Legendary who gave HIV a human face amidst denial and death. The event promotes efforts to end stigma and discrimination against People Living with HIV.
Background
Sub Saharan Africa remains gripped and hard hit with the HIV/AIDS pandemic in recent years.
The HIV pandemic hasn’t loosened its hold on Africa, putting 7.5 million at risk of living with this medical condition. About 18.9% of the general population is affected by HIV and it continues to affect more people every day.
According to orphanlifefoundation, statistics show that more than 1.2 million children have lost their parents to this disease. The socio-economic adversities continue to make their orphaned lives even more deplorable. The financial insecurities lead minors into sex work, which only preserves the vicious cycle of the epidemic.
It may also lead to dropping out of school and engaging in child labor to make ends meet.
The HIV epidemic in this region is generalized but young women, key populations and vulnerable populations including prisoners, fishing communities, as well as people with disabilities who are at an increased vulnerability to HIV infection.
Improved availability of HIV testing services now means less than two out of every ten people living with HIV are aware of their status. The number of people living with HIV in East and Southern Africa continues to increase, but access to antiretroviral treatment is increasing as well.
Although laws and cultural traditions vary in the region, there are a number of ingrained cultural, structural and legal barriers to HIV prevention. The world has however increasingly progressed towards the elimination of new HIV infections; innovative strategies globally continue to guide country specific interventions. There is need to think globally and act locally by considering the Global HIV/AIDS situation and take action in our own communities in our respective countries.
