Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2001. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
 |
The New Vision (Uganda) - March 6, 2001
Ebenezer T. Bifubyeka
The manager of AIDS Information Centre, Mbarara branch, Stephen Mbugane, told The New Vision on Saturday, "We have tested about 3,000 malaria patients within the last two months."
He said the figure had gradually increased from the 'maximum number' of about 900 clients whom they had been testing in one month.
Worried clients reportedly said they could not believe they were suffering from malaria because they had spent two months on their sick beds.
"Three quarters of the 3,000 clients have been found HIV negative but when they were tested for malaria, they were all found positive," Mbugane said.
As a result of the influx of malaria patients seeking blood tests to ascertain their HIV status, AIDS Information Centre has made big profits.
Each client pays sh2,500 for a test but in the sub-units, testing is done for sh1,000.
The Mbarara district health officer, Amoti Kaguna, was recently quoted in press as saying over 50 people were killed by malaria in hospitals in the district in January.
"About 25,000 malaria patients were registered in hospitals, excluding an unknown number in the villages in the district in January," he said.
Mbugane urged teachers and parents to teach sex education in July because that is a redundant time when people have no much work to do, especially farmers. He said HIV infection was high during early pregnancies during defilement.
010306
NV010301
Copyright © 2001 - The New Vision. All articles are republished on AEGIS by permission. Material may not be redistributed, posted to any other location, published or used for broadcast without written authorization from Managing Director/Editor-in-chief, The New Vision, P.O. Box 9815, Kampala - Uganda, Tel/fax: 256-41-235221, E-mail: wpike@newvision.co.ug.
AEGiS is made possible through unrestricted grants from Boehringer Ingelheim, Elton John AIDS Foundation, iMetrikus, Inc., John M. Lloyd Foundation, the National Library of Medicine, and donations from users like you. Always watch for outdated information. This article first appeared in 2001. 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, 2001. 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. .