President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has urged all Ugandans to test for HIV ‘because treatment is available’.
Speaking during the World AIDS Day national commemoration at Kololo Independence Grounds on Wednesday, Museveni told the nation that “we have come a long way in fighting HIV and AIDS and today, I can say with confidence that we are winning the battle”.
The theme for this year’s World AIDS day commemoration is “End Inequalities: End AIDS and End Pandemics” with special focus on reaching out to the people left behind.
Museveni said that since there are more people on treatment now, fewer are dying and more are surviving.
Therefore, he sent out a message to the different sections of society.
‘The main message for young people remains abstinence. They should focus on their studies, until they are old enough to face the world. Young people do not be in a hurry to have sex because there are many consequences you will not handle.’
He also assured that if there has been a relapse in the HIV and AIDS response due to the recent attention invested in the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the former efforts will be revived in earnest.
The President urged parents to spend ‘quality time with their children, setting an example for them to follow, and equipping them with skills on how to avoid peer pressure’.
With Uganda currently faced with a ‘double jeopardy’ of COVID-19 and HIV & AIDS, the President said everyone’s involvement is important.
‘We should increase knowledge on treatment as a pathway for viral suppression. Everyone has a role to play in preventing HIV and AIDS. It is not a job for only the government and health professionals.’
Pushing for public sensitization, Museveni said more noise has to be made – right from the grassroots. ‘Once the public knows what to do, things become much easier.’
