Zombo registers massive turn-up for HIV/AIDs awareness campaign

Zombo, (UG): Zombo District Forum for People Living with HIV AIDS, an affiliate of the National Forum of People Living with HIV AIDS Network Uganda-NAFOPHANU, is registering marvellous strides as people especially those with disability (PWDs) and others infected by the virus disclose their HIV status and champion preventive and management measures ahead of the World AIDS Day celebration on December, 1st 2023.

This outstanding milestone is believed to have stemmed from several workshops funded by NAFOPHANU in which youthful peer educators, the young positives and other leaders of the forum were engaged on available treatment, innovations of injectables and sexual reproductive and health rights that are key points in the fight to scale to zero the spread of the Human Immune Virus in the population.

To the district that has over 4000 persons on active treatment and many people living in denial of diagnosis results, among whom are Religious leaders and some hard-collared christians who believe in the supernatural healing powers of Jesus Christ, the disclosure of HIV status is the only option to lure those living in denial of diagnosis results to gather efforts to begin treatment and other necessary measures.

Speaking to DailyExpress in an exclusive interview on Monday, a one Patricia Kabuweza, who is visually impaired PWD and a peer educator from Kango Subcounty announced her status to this publication revealing how she contracted the virus from her parents but has adhered to taking the medication as advised.

“..yes, I have HIV, I got it from my parents, I was born with it now am 20 years I take care of myself and adhere to drugs,” Ms Kabuweza said.

HIV AIDS which is also a major situational challenge to families and the government given its far-reaching impacts on productivity, domestic violence, moral decadence and expenses on therapeutics, needs gathered efforts from all stakeholders and agencies in order to address the syndromes of the disease.

The negative impacts trickle harder on Victims in rural communities like of Zombo district, especially on dietary supplements for the infected.

According to Mr Collins Canudwoga, the chairperson of Zombo District Forum for people living with HIV AIDS, the current emphasis is on ensuring victims enrol for medications as well as ensuring medicinal availability to the patients.

“We want somebody to be on treatment that is our concern you can pick your drugs from Kampala, from Nairobi or any way so long as you are getting treatment, it’s okay…,” Canudwoga ardently told DailyExpress.

The Forum for people living with HIV AIDS in Zombo has also embarked on sensitization programs to curb the spread of the virus by deploying peer educators who are also living with the Virus.