Uganda has joined other countries like Swaziland, Ghana, and Sierra Leone among others, and launched a new national framework to eliminate new HIV infections among children by 2016.
“We are not the problem but part of the solution”, is the slogan that activists were chanting at the national launch of Free HIV/AIDS children by 2016 and keeping mothers alive, first launched by Uganda’s First Lady in early April. The engineers of this campaign were the National Community of Women Living with HIV/AIDS in Uganda (NACWOLA).
The Executive Director of NACWOLA, Florence Buluba, disclosed that 86 per cent of women in Uganda know that HIV can be transmitted to a baby through breast feeding and are slightly more knowledgeable than men about Mother to Child Transmission and Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission according to the Uganda Indicator Survey of 2011.
“The government strategy of elimination of mother to child transmission (EMTCT) using Option B+ which is treatment for life will help mothers deliver children free from HIV as long as they are tested, and enrolled in prevention of mother to child transmission (PMTCT) services irrespective of her CD4 count by 2016,” she added.
Recently UNAIDS launched the “Believe It, Do It” campaign which aims to ensure that children every where can be born free from HIV by 2015, and eliminate new infections among children and substantially reduce AIDS-related maternal deaths.
The representative from UNAIDS to Uganda, Musa Muhammad Bungudu, revealed that Uganda has at least made progress in its HIV response between 2009-2011 and the rate of new infections in children has reduced. “If we keep the UNAIDS slogan of the “Believe It, Do It” campaign, children every where can be born free from HIV by 2015”.
Bungudu encouraged the issue of male involvement as men should be encouraged, guided, and go together with his partner to the health facility as knowing each others’ status will help to have a child born free from HIV.
The Minister of Gender, Labour and Social Development, John Nasasira, committed to lead Uganda’s push towards reaching an AIDS –free generation by 2016. In his new role he said that he will encourage political dialogue in the country ensuring that AIDS remains high on the political agenda.
He promised to work towards empowering women and girls, challenging stigma and helping national and community leaders to understand that the AIDS response cannot be separated from the work to improve the health of mothers and children.
“I commit to ensuring that no child dies from the disease,” he said. “We have a good opportunity to change the world, we can end new HIV infections among children by 2016 and ensure women living with HIV stay healthy through pregnancy, delivery and breast feeding.”
- Minister of Gender, Labour and Social Development John Nasasira Officially Launched the campaign as Executive Director of NACWORA Florence Buluba looks on
- KCs James Kityo and Sharifah also represented Alliance Uganda
- Journalists and other CSOs attended the Launch
