Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2007. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
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New Vision (Kampala) - November 13, 2007
Rehema Aanyu
Apuuli Kihumuro said many people, especially the youth, no longer feared HIV/AIDS and were engaging in irresponsible behaviour like having unprotected sex.
A recent report released by the World Health Organisation indicates high increase in HIV/AIDS infection rates in Uganda.
The report states that infection rates, which had been brought down to 5.6% in men and 6.9% in women by 2000, had now gone up to 6.5% in men and 8.8% in women.
A recent national survey also discovered that the overall prevalence had risen from 6.2% to 6.4%.
"The fear of HIV and AIDS has evaporated. Youths now look at the disease as ordinary because of availability of antiretroviral treatment and the fact that nowadays people living with HIV/AIDS look healthy," Kihumuro said.
He made the remarks recently at a public lecture marking 20 years of service delivery by The Aids Support Organisation (TASO) at Hotel Africana in Kampala.
Kihumuro called upon the civil society and activists to devise new strategies of checking the spread of HIV.
Noerine Kaleeba, the TASO patron, said the organisation's services were needed now more than ever.
"We had thought that at around this time, TASO would be winding up its services because we hoped by then HIV/AIDS would not be amidst us. It is sad that after all this time, TASO is most needed now."
Kaleeba asked the public not to stigmatise discordant couples.
The organisation also launched a book entitled 'United against AIDS: the TASO story' and a film under the same title.
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