Ugandan community in the UK introduces pill to reduce HIV transmission, slated for this weekend.

By Joseph Lubandi

Posted on May 23, 2018

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It is real to find a Ugandan family that has never lost a loved one due to HIV related illness. We pay our respect to all those who lost their lives and praise all those who are working towards bringing an end to the transmission of the virus.

The convention is proud to discuss the recent discovery of a pill that can reduce HIV infections has been hailed as one of the great breakthroughs in the struggle to bring an end to HIV transmissions. This pill is known as PrEP which stands for Pre Exposure Prophylaxis. The pill has been scientifically proven to be extremely effective in reducing the risks of contracting HIV virus. The drug is available on NHS in Scotland, however, in England and Wales, it is still on trial with just a limited number of people able to access it on NHS. However, the UK Uganda Youth convention 2018 has discovered that this pill can legally be bought at 56 Dean Street clinic in London at a reasonable fee. The convention has invited Dr Nneka who is one of the leading HIV consultants in the world to present this modern HIV prevention pill and answer questions from the community. The Uganda ambassador to the UK will always be present as this innovation is presented to the community.

According to a well-respected medical sources, PrEP is very effective if taken as prescribed by the professionals and serious side effects are rare. Some studies have attributed the reduction of HIV infections among gay men to PrEP. However, there is still a small number of black heterosexual people using this modern drug. The convention organisers believe that 26/05/2018 will be a turning point and they appeal to everybody to come and take advantage.

The UK has been praised for its magnificent work of preventing HIV among its population. The recent figures show that 965 of all those diagnosed with HIV are accessing antiretroviral medication and 94% have suppressed the virus due to the treatment. Thus, putting them at lesser risk of transmitting the virus to their sexual partners. Unfortunately, the UK Uganda Youth convention learnt that a substantial proportion of the black community including Ugandans do not know that they are carrying the virus and present themselves late for diagnosis. This is very dangerous and increases the spread of the virus. The convention believes that the Youth need to champion this cause and bring an end to the transmission of HIV during their lifetime. According to Barbra Kemigisha, ‘it is shocking to find out that it is estimated that 10,400 people living with HIV do not know that they are living with the virus, thus putting their loved ones at a greater risk of being infected’. She continued that it is entirely upon us to take up the available preventive measures like PrEP and I call upon the people to join us for the UK Uganda Youth convention 2018. The issue of HIV is like taboo among the Uganda community in the UK, and we do not want to talk about it openly. I appeal to every member of the community to attend the convention this Saturday 26/05/2018 at Royal Regency London from 9:30am.

According to the UNAIDS, it is estimated that by 2020 90% of the people living with HIV will be on medication, 90% of those living with HIV will know their status and 90% of those on ARV medication will be in the position of not transmitting the virus to other people. Therefore, HIV is estimated to be under control hence eliminated in years to come.

The UK UGANDA YOUTH CONVENTION 2018 has also learnt from the 2011 UK population census that the black population is estimated to be 1.8% of the total UK population. However, HIV figures of 2016 estimate that 39% of the new HIV diagnosis in the UK were from the black community. Many of the HIV infections have occurred outside the UK. However, a larger proportion of all new diagnosis among heterosexual men and women were acquired in the UK. It is well known that many Ugandans take their holiday in other countries including Uganda. Even though Uganda has been praised as one of the leading countries regarding HIV prevention, however, this has been watered down by the recent increase in HIV infections in the country. These figures are shocking, and a lot must be done to bring them down. The convention will aim at working with different people and organisations to reduce this number.

There is a growing lack of enough knowledge about the virus; the recent study shows that only 45% of the UK population could rightly tell know how HIV is transmitted. The stigma attached to HIV among the black community in the UK is still high.

The UK UGANDA YOUTH CONVENTION 2018 is aiming at raising awareness on how the above UNAIDS targets can be achieved among the Ugandan community and other societies. The convention believes that HIV can be brought under during our lifetime, but this can only be achieved if we all address the issue openly without any fears of being judged by the community.

The convention will also address other social issues like mental health, gangs and crime, the impact of social media and how to climb the economic ladder. Immediately after the summit there will a concert headlined by Dr Jose Chameleone of the Leone Island, Clinton Elvis, Kleo, Edith Nabulime, Wool Betah, Gal Power among others. Doors for the show will open from 7pm at the same venue

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via: BigEye