The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
Napak, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | As the country fights the escalation of HIV infections, a big number of people in Napak district in Karamoja region don’t know much about the deadly disease. The Napak District Health Director, Dr. James Lemukol revealed this in an exclusive with URN at his office early this week.
According to Dr. Lemukol, they discovered this during a survey conducted by Npaka District Health Office and Baylor Uganda on whether resident know how HIV/ Aids is spread. He says the survey found that 30% of the population doesn’t in the district doesn’t know anything about HIV/Aids and how it spreads.
According to Dr. Lemukol, the findings point to the need for more intervention from the government and development partners to conduct HIV Aids awareness campaigns to rescue the lives of the people in Napak. He says that the findings show that women have slightly more information about the disease compared to men because they are often taught when they go for antenatal service in health units.
Dr. Lemuko says the study further revealed that girls from 10 to 17 years had already had sex and out of that 2.2% of these girls had gone for commercial sex while only 18% used condoms. He says the increase in teenage sex has led to an increase in the prevalence HIV/Aids, which currently stands at 1.8%.
“We are doing bodily as far as HIV/Aids fight is concern and we need to go and sensitize the community to fully understand the HIV/Aids, “he said. Elijah Lobuchel, the Lokopo Sub County LC 3 Chairperson in Napak district, says the situation has been worsened by Karimojong girls who returned from Kampala streets.
“The challenge we are facing right now on the fight of HIV aids in Napak is caused by in and out most migration by our girls now when they reach to Kampala they accept to be messed up and they later returned back to Kampala with the virus to spread,” he said.
Sarah Naputuka, the a member of the Village Health Team in Matany Sub County wants the girls returning from Kampala or Busia subjected to mandatory HIV testing before they mingle with the rest of the community.
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