AEGiS-AFROL: War in Uganda threatens AIDS successes

Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2004. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.

War in Uganda threatens AIDS successes

afrol News - December 1, 2004

A new report has found that AIDS rates in Uganda's war-ravaged northern region are skyrocketing as a result of the 18-year civil war. The prevalence of the deadly virus in the war zone is found to be nearly double the rest of the country.

While Uganda has been cited as an AIDS "success story," its protracted civil war threatens to unravel the country's dramatic improvements as AIDS rates skyrocket in the country's northern region, according to a recent report from Christian relief organisation World Vision.

Since 1991, Uganda has seen HIV infection rates decline from 21.2 percent of the adult population to a current 6.2 percent. However, the 18-year war between the Ugandan government and the brutal rebel Lord's Resistance Army (LRA), concentrated in northern Uganda, has increased the HIV rates in parts of the north to 11.9 percent - nearly double the rest of the country.

- There's no place to hide from AIDS, says Rory Anderson of World Vision, who is a co-author of the report. "Four out of five people in the north have lost their homes. Many women, especially those in the displacement camps find that they can only get food, soap or money in exchange for sex," he adds.

Further, the brutal practices of the LRA rebels directly promote the spread of HIV and AIDS. "Girls who are abducted by the LRA are often given to commanders as 'wives' and sex slaves. Those who 'night commute' and sleep in the cities to avoid abduction are often raped there," Mr Anderson says.

The LRA claims to seek the overthrow of the current Ugandan government and is characterised by attacks on civilians, looting, rape, and the abduction and forced conscription of children into its militias.

The international community lately has expressed a stronger support to the government of President Yoweri Museveni and his efforts to end the war in northern Uganda. The US government even has termed the LRA a terrorist movement, given its systematic terrorising of the civilian population.

041201
AO041203

AEGiS is made possible through unrestricted grants from Boehringer Ingelheim, Elton John AIDS Foundation, Bridgestone/Firestone Charitable Trust, the National Library of Medicine, and donations from users like you. Always watch for outdated information. This article first appeared in 2004. This material is designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between you and your doctor.

AEGiS presents published material, reprinted with permission and neither endorses nor opposes any material. All information contained on this website, including information relating to health conditions, products, and treatments, is for informational purposes only. It is often presented in summary or aggregate form. It is not meant to be a substitute for the advice provided by your own physician or other medical professionals. Always discuss treatment options with a doctor who specializes in treating HIV.

Copyright ©1980, 2004. AEGiS. All materials appearing on AEGiS are protected by copyright as a collective work or compilation under U.S. copyright and other laws and are the property of AEGiS, or the party credited as the provider of the content. .