Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2004. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
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New Vision - December 1, 2004
We can now enumerate those who are surviving, thanks to positive living and access to life-saving drugs. The United States, through the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), as well as a top contributor to the Global Fund and the World Bank's activities, is proud to be one of Uganda's leading partners in this encouraging evolution.
Less than a year after the launch of the Emergency Plan, the number of HIV-positive Ugandans on antiretroviral drugs has doubled to 26,000, and that number is growing daily.
The United States is providing some free drugs directly. we are also responsible for training and setting up clinics throughout the country, which are now capable of providing such drugs from other donors or to people who can afford to pay for them.
We have also added service sites for voluntary counselling and testing, prevention of mother-to-child transmission of AIDS and palliative care programmes.
The Emergency Plan's five-year goals for Uganda are ambitious but achievable, with targets including the prevention of 165,000 new HIV infections, the provision of care and support to 325,000 HIV-positive individuals and orphans, and antiretroviral treatment for 70,000.
During the past year, more than $100 million has been directed to Uganda for these purposes, and we anticipate equal or greater resources next year to maintain those people on medication and extend services to additional qualified clients at new and existing sites.
Leadership from the Government of Uganda, civil society, local faith-based organisations, and Ugandans living with HIV/AIDS has been an essential factor in Uganda's success and in the US-funded projects. We recognise that strengthening communities and families is the best way to deal with AIDS and its victims.
In recognition of this fact, the Emergency Plan has already formed partnerships with over 250 community and faith-based organisations in Uganda.
There will be additional solicitations in the coming months for groups working on prevention messages to youth and with orphans and children affected by AIDS. The Government of Uganda and the Uganda AIDS Commission will remain coordinators of all of our activities.
As we enter the second year of the programme, we anticipate and welcome new partnerships with organisations and communities engaged in this struggle, and encourage interested parties to reach out to the Embassy to learn more about the potential possibilities, whether that interest is in large-scale interventions or small community-based activities. An easy way to learn more is to visit our Emergency Plan website, at http://kampala.usembassy.gov/wwwhpepfarindex.html. Clearly, daunting challenges to overcoming HIV/AIDS remain. For example, most of the estimated one million HIV-infected Ugandans do not know their status, and many are likely living in discordant relationships (when one partner has HIV and the other does not).
In addition, success in this battle will require a sustainable, indigenous service network, including improved laboratories, efficient supply systems for key commodities, adequate human resources, and monitoring and evaluation systems. None of this can be accomplished quickly or cheaply, but neither can we hesitate to make the necessary investments now.
As we enter what I hope and believe will be a prolonged period of heightened attention to the AIDS crisis in Uganda and elsewhere, I draw considerable encouragement from the many heroic HIV-positive people whom I have got to know during my tenure here ù people with an enduring desire to raise their children, support their extended families, endure customary challenges, and enjoy the expected pleasures of a normal life.
It is with these people that we celebrate the World AIDS Day.
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