People in Masaka, central Uganda will on Saturday November 27th benefit from free testing for HIV, and be put on immediate treatment if their sero status warrants so.
AHF Uganda cares mass testing last year
This is part of the Test & Treat program being run by Uganda Cares, a partnership between Aids Healthcare Foundation (AHF) and Uganda’s Ministry of Health.
Dr. Mina Nakawuka, the Director of Advocacy & Public Relations for Aids Healthcare Foundation’s East West Africa Region says the new test and treat campaign is aimed at answering the need from members of the public to receive appropriate HIV/AIDS care when people test and are found to be HIV positive.
According to the 2010 UNAIDS report on the global AIDS situation, only 200, 000 of the 1.2 million Ugandans living with HIV are receiving antiretroviral therapy.
“We want to introduce those who are found HIV positive to some form of immediate care, especially giving them ceptrin prophylaxis and then advising them on where and how they will continue treatment,” Dr. Nakawuka says.
She says the mass HIV testing exercise will begin with a march through Masaka town to the Liberation Square where AHF Uganda Cares staff and volunteers will offer day long HIV testing, treatment and pre and post test counseling services.
The function will be attended and addressed by officials from AHF Uganda Cares, Uganda Aids Commission, the Permanent Secretary in Ministry of Health, Masaka district and other civil society organizations engaged in HIV/AIDS related work.
Dr. Nakawuka says the mass testing in Masaka is part of AHF Uganda Care activities to mark World Aids Day, with an emphasis on integrating care and treatment with HIV testing and counseling.
AHF opened the first Uganda Cares clinic opened in Masaka in February 2002 and was the first organization to provide antiretroviral therapy (ART) outside the capital city of Kampala. Uganda Cares has since become one of the country’s largest providers of AIDS treatment and runs an HIV Routine Counseling and Testing project, based on the understanding that there cannot be universal coverage of HIV/AIDS without universal testing.
The Masaka mass testing event on Saturday is expected to attract at least 1,000 people to test for HIV and receive counseling as well as treatment where necessary.
Prime Time Communications has sponsored the live presentation of this event here and you can follow the event live and through twitter and facebook so we raise the profile of the need to test for HIV, how to reduce barriers for testing and providing the necessary HIV/AIDS care and treatment.
For those following on twitter, the event hash tags will be #Uganda Cares, #HIV test Uganda, #HIV test and Treat, #HIV/AIDS Uganda care. You can also follow us on www/facebook/ugandacares
If you have any questions on queries, fell free to contact
Dr. Mina Nakawuka 0772754334/ 0772629389