Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2004. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
 |
New Vision - December 13, 2004
This is a good development because it popularises one of the key pillars in fighting AIDS. It should not stop in Kampala. There must be protracted efforts to promote virginity countrywide. They should be supported to resist peer pressure.
However, virginity is only a transitional method used as young people wait for marriage. There are situations where girls or boys abstain from sex for years, only to become infected at, or during marriage. Efforts should be made to encourage everyone to voluntarily test for HIV before marriage or beginning a sexual relationship.
Even more important is being faithful to one's partner. Research done by the Uganda Virus Research Institute and the British Medical Research Council show that most of the new HIV infections occur among young married people. The prevalence of HIV is higher among married people than their non-married agemates. While it is important to promote virginity as a starting point, there is need for a bigger campaign to encourage married people to either be faithful or use condoms.
No matter how much we preach abstinence or being faithful, there are people who will do neither. Therefore condoms should be easily available. After over 20 years of AIDS, condoms have not yet penetrated every corner of Uganda.
In remote villages, people still find it difficult to get access to condoms. The Ministry of Health should recruit and train village volunteers to give out condoms in the communities.
Despite AIDS awareness, 70,000 - 100,000 Ugandans become infected with HIV annually. This means too many people are not practising any of the three pillars: abstinence, being faithful or using condoms. What we need is not a competition between these three. We need more people into each of these pillars. Each of them makes a difference. We need a choice-based approach in which individuals are given all the options and they make an informed choice.
041213
NV041242
Copyright © 2004 - 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, 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. .