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The US non-governmental organization
AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) has launched a controversial HIV prevention
campaign in Uganda, urging married people and individuals in long-term
relationships to use a condom if they cheat, and to have an HIV test if they
think their partner has cheated on them. The Uganda AIDS Commission (UAC), the
government agency in charge of HIV/AIDS efforts, disagrees with the AHF
campaign messages and has directed AHF to remove the billboards. UAC’s official
policy recommends “Abstinence, Being faithful, and consistent, correct Condom
use” (ABC) in combination with biomedical interventions. Studies estimate that
43 percent of new HIV infections in Uganda occur among couples in long-term
relationships.
Uganda attributed its early success
in reducing HIV to the ABC policy. HIV prevalence in the early 1990s was 18
percent, compared to six percent in 2000. However, the AIDS Indicator survey
reports that HIV prevalence reached7.3 percent in 2011. Critics of UAC policy
state that the Ugandan government has given into pressure from the President’s
Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, which emphasizes abstinence and fidelity over
condom use.
Research indicates that UAC’s
traditional messages urging couples to be faithful and get tested can reduce
unprotected sex, but prevention interventions also need to address “same-sex
couples, adolescents, and young people in relationships.”
The “cheating” campaign has
stimulated intense discussion among Ugandans on social media and on the streets
of Kampala. Critics like Christine Shimanya, an associate vicar at Church of
Resurrection, believe the campaign encourages infidelity, while proponents
counter that the campaign is realistic. HIV activist Milly Katana stated that
“multiple, concurrent partnerships” are a major cause of HIV incidence in
Uganda. Both sides agree that old HIV prevention messages are stale, and fresh
messages are necessary to motivate Ugandans and prevent new HIV infections.
The full report, “Couples-focused
Behavioral Interventions for Prevention of HIV: Systematic Review of the State
of the Evidence,” was published online in the journal AIDS Behaviour (2010;
doi: 10.1007/s10461-008-9471-4).
The Friends of AIDS Foundation is
dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and
empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV
virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.
TOGETHER WE REMAIN STRONG!
