Against a sea of troubles: AIDS control in Uganda
Magezi, M.G.
World Health Forum 12(3): 302-306
1991
ISSN/ISBN: 0251-2432 PMID: 1777019 Document Number: 317269
The government of Uganda began its anti-AIDS campaign in 1986. A year later with AIDS Support Organization opened its doors as the situation worsened. Today it provides counseling and health care services for AIDS patients and trains counselors. It operates support centers in 8 districts. Staff make home visits to AIDS patients who reside within 20 km of a support center. Women and children comprise the majority of patients. Even though changes in behavior could restrict AIDS, social, economic, and cultural obstacles exist. For example, in some areas of Uganda, society expects the brother of a decreased man to have sexual intercourse with the widow and to be responsible for her and her children. His life and that of his wife or wives are in danger if the brother died of AIDS. Community workers encourage people to engage in practices that do not spread AIDS. This program provides training on AIDS awareness and community mobilization, counseling by community members, medical services, educational materials, and promotion of income generating efforts. Even though the most effective way of preventing the spread of HIV when having sexual intercourse is using a condom, cultural reasons and cost hinder its use. Counselors find it difficult to discuss sexual relations let alone condoms. Further promotion of condoms is often interpreted as promotion of immoral behavior. These obstacles have not stopped the AIDS Support Organization from providing information on condoms and it has targeted traditional healers and tribal and religious leaders to help in this effort. Women play a major role in AIDS education. They need to be informed of their rights and empowered to exercise them to improve their status and that of their children. Indeed their empowerment would improve the whole of society.