Health workers in Adjumani District in Uganda’s West Nile region have raised a red flag over the rampant HIV Infections in refugee-hosting areas.
According to the officials, the refugee-hosting sub-counties of Itirikwa, Dzaipi, and greater Pakele have become hot spots for HIV infections in the district.
Records at the Adjumani District Health Department indicate that 110 new HIV infections were registered in the 2022/2023 financial year, with the majority of them coming from the refugee-hosting sub-counties. Dolorence Inyani Mane, the Adjumani District HIV focal person, attributes the high number of HIV infections to the booming charcoal business and the mobile nature of refugees.
The Adjumani District Health Officer, Dr. Dominic Drametu explains that the sub-counties with high HIV infections have already been mapped as hot spots that need urgent intervention. According to Drametu, although the HIV prevalence is at 2 percent, there is a need for a multi-sectoral approach to end HIV by 2030 in Uganda.
Stephen Drani, the Madi Paramount Chief says that the increasing HIV complacency among the population has complicated efforts to eradicate the virus. He pledged to rally all the cultural chiefs to take up the issue and sensitize their subjects about the infection.
Abraham Makuol Manyok, the LC III Councilor of the Mungula Refugee settlement said, the situation in the refugee settlement has been worsened by the reduction in the food ratio and new civilization.
According to the 2020 Uganda Population-based HIV Impact Assessment (UPHIA), the West Nile region has the second lowest HIV prevalence at 2.8 percent after the Karamoja region with a prevalence of 2.1 percent.
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