BY BRIAN SSENOGA KIMULI
While many Ugandans and the rest of the world are celebrating their romance on every February 14 as Valentine’s Day, the Aids HealthCare foundation Uganda Cares is marking the same day as the National Condom Day to educate and also remind the people about the importance of having protected sexual intercourse.
Currently, condoms are the only widely available, proven method for reducing transmission of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs) during intercourse. Organizations around the world recommend condom use for the prevention of pregnancy and HIV/STIs.
BACKGROUND
According to Dr. Mina Ssali the public relations officer Uganda Cares, National Condom Day (NCD) is an annual health initiative. The campaign falls on February 14 Valentine's Day, an ideal time to encourage condom use when love and lust are in the air. NCD serves to remind people about the risks of sexually transmissible infections (STIs) and unplanned pregnancies, when people are celebrating romance, passion, love, lust and intimacy.
NCD was first marked in Uganda in 2009 by Uganda Cares in soroti. The organization with the ‘stay negative campaign’ wanted to promote the positive message of condom use while educating people about the need to practice safe sex. “Several organisations especially our partners around Uganda are now joining into the campaign to mark the NCD since 2009 with the message "say it with a condom", a nice way to say to a partner "I care about your health". The "say it with a condom" message has since developed a positive reputation during the merriment of romance on Valentine's Day” says Henry Magala the country director Uganda Cares.
He continues that, “Uganda Cares would like to remind people to take responsibility for their sexual health by using a condom during sexual activity. There are still many occasions where people are engaging in sexual risk taking behaviour. Some people are still embarrassed about condoms or they don't consider themselves at risk. The more at ease people feel talking about condoms, the more likely they are to use them”
According to Dr. Zainab Akol the Aids Control Program director in the ministry of health the purpose to mark this day is to Increase awareness and utilization of condoms for HIV prevention and promotion of reproductive health in the country.
“Most Ugandans know that condoms if correctly used can prevent HIV infection but fifty percent of our population are young people and few among them know the proper way of using them and even then among them, there are those who know who have failed to appreciate the condom. The day will be an opportunity to highlight the role of the condom in HIV prevention. ” says Ms. Akol.
According to Ms. Ssali, this year’s National Condom Day will be marked at Lukaya where Uganda cares is also launching a Test and Treat project where over one thousand people will receive free counseling, testing and also treatment of those with HIV will be given for free.
THE NEED FOR CONDOMS
According to Mr. Magala the country has for the last five years been importing from Korea an estimated 120 million condoms annually but compared to the needs and the infection rate and population growth rate this is still very little something that even Ms. Akol agrees to.
“We import about 120 million condoms a year but the consumption is high. A quick calculation is that every person has four condoms for a full year. The whole country is so lacking. Recently we received about ten million condoms from UNFPA and USAID but still that is not enough. That is also about a quarter a condom per a person” Ms. Akol Adds before saying that the government has no intentions of setting up a condom factory in Uganda.
A 2011 Uganda care report released last month show that offers treatment to 28785 clients in twelve districts in Uganda and of these 15838 are already receiving Anti-retroviral therapy treatments while 12947 are still on septrine.
Uganda Cares is a partnership between the ministry of health and Aids Healthcare Foundation (AHF) with a guiding mission and core values to provide quality HIV/AIDS care to those in need, regardless of the ability to pay.
Another report by AHF released in 2010 show that in that same year over 170,000 individuals received HIV counseling and testing from all the Uganda Care centers spread in the country and over one million condoms were distribute, including 43,200 on valentine’s day, 2010.
This year also about one million condoms will be distributed as part of the prevention package to all Uganda cares clients as according to the organisations’ country director. And the organization is still continuing with campaign to encourage condom use among discordant couples.
“The challenge is that young people today have not really seen the real bite of HIV but we still reach them through our partners who can reach them in schools, and communities. The need is still great in that area but we are not giving up. We also intensify other approaches like abstinence among the young people and if you cannt then use the condom” says Mr.Magala.
IMPORTANT
30 per centage of people using condoms in Uganda
Condoms are free in Uganda except
95 per centage of condom in prevention of HIV, STI and pregnancy
35, 935 people tested for HIV in the 2008 Uganda cares ‘one million tests campaign.
2009 Uganda cares hosts the National World Aids commemoration day at Nakivubo stadium. This was also part of the ‘Testing Millions’ campaign that AHF was promoting internationally. By the end of 2009 the campaign had tested 240,829 individuals.
2010 Uganda cares launches the ‘Test and Treat’ Campaign during World Aids Day in Masaka.
Monday, February 13, 2012
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