It is rare to find a Ugandan family that has never lost a loved one due to HIV related illness. The HIV epidermic has had a devastating effect on countries particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa where over 35 million has dies due to AIDS related illnesses. The UK Uganda Youth Convention 2018 pays our respect to all those who lost their lives and commend all those who are working towards bringing an end to the transmission of the virus.
The convention is proud to present a special session discussing 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 the 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 Nko 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 be present at the session where this innovation will be presented to the community.
According to 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 learn about this breakthrough biomedical intervention.
The UK has been praised for its magnificent work of preventing HIV among its population. The recent figures show that 96.5% of all those diagnosed with HIV are accessing antiviral 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 testing. This is very dangerous because a late HIV diagnosis means that one is likely to suffer many other HIV/AIDS related illnesses and it also increases the likelihood of the spreading virus.
The convention believes that the Youth need to champion this cause and bring an end to the transmission of HIV during our lifetime. According to Barbra Kemigisha, ‘it is shocking to find out that an estimated 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 called upon the people in the diaspora to join us for for this special session. “The issue of HIV is like a 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”
UNAIDS has set the 90-90-90 targets by 2020. This means that an estimated 90% of the people living with HIV will be wil have been diagnosed , 90% of those living with HIV will be on treatment and 90% of those on ARV medication will be in the position of not transmitting the virus to other people. London has signed up to the Fast Track cities which adds new impetus to tehcampaign. It also means that there is a renewed determination to bring HIV in control and eliminate it in a few years to come.
Acording to the 2011 UK population census, 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 truly shocking, and a lot must be done to bring them down. The convention will work with different stakeholders such as African Advocacy Foundation, African Equality Foundation, 56 Dean Street among others with the aim of reducing this number.
There is a growing evidence of lack of enough knowledge about the virus; Arecent study shows that only 45% of the UK population could rightly tell how HIV is transmitted. The stigma attached to HIV among the black community in the UK is still high.
The black African community fare particularly worse in terms of knowledge of the improved HIV testing technologies opportunities available as well as the excellent treatment and care. There is also lack of knowledge of biomedical interventions such as PrEP.
The UK UGANDA YOUTH CONVENTION 2018 is aiming to raise awareness on how these issues can be addressed and the above UNAIDS targets can be achieved among the Ugandan community and other societies. The convention believes that HIV can be brought under control 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