-Ministry of Health headquarters, Kampala
- Minister of Health, Hon. Dr. Jane Ruth Aceng
- Permanent Secretary Ministry of Health, Dr. Diana Atwine
- Program Manager/Assistant Commissioner Health Services – STD/AIDS Control Division, Dr. Robert Mutumba
- Director General Uganda AIDS Commission, Dr. Nelson Musoba
- Dean Makerere University School of Public Health, Prof. Rhoda Wanyenze
- Ugandan Bureau of Statistics Officials
- UN and USG colleagues current
- UPHIA Survey Field Teams
- All protocol noticed.
Good morning! It is an honor to hitch you in launching the third spherical of the Uganda Population-based HIV Impact Assessment 2024-25, which can present essential data on the progress and impression of present HIV epidemic response efforts and information future work to shut the gaps.
For three a long time, the United States authorities has partnered with Uganda to assist individuals stay more healthy, longer lives. The bulk of our annual help, roughly $500 million this yr, is devoted to well being packages—making the U.S. authorities the largest single supplier of well being help to Uganda. Through the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), the United States has dramatically contributed to Uganda’s progress towards ending HIV as a public well being menace. Since 2003 when Uganda was one of the first nations to implement the program, we have now invested shut to 6 billion {dollars} (greater than 22 trillion Uganda shillings) on HIV prevention, care, and therapy companies, saving tens of millions of lives and making each nations safer from HIV.
You are possible conscious that the United States is present process a evaluate of all our Federal Assistance packages. While the evaluate has resulted in a realignment of assets, the United States continues to help main life saving and humanitarian tasks in Uganda in addition to international well being safety initiatives. Today is an instance—the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), with $10 million (roughly 37 billion Uganda shillings) funding from PEPFAR, is supporting the Ministry of Health, Makerere University School of public Health and companions to conduct UPHIA (you-fee-ah) 2025.
Of the estimated 1.5 million Ugandans dwelling with HIV, over 1.4 million—about 94%—are receiving life-saving therapy supported by PEPFAR, enabling them to guide wholesome and productive lives. As many of , the first PEPFAR consumer in the world was a Ugandan man, now aged 55 years, who’s wholesome and stays on PEPFAR-supported HIV therapy greater than 20 years later. We have additionally seen mother-to-child transmission of HIV drop from 30% 20 years in the past to only 3% at present. This means lots of of hundreds of infants born HIV-free.
Despite our achievements, challenges stay. The PEPFAR Vision stays clear: to finish the HIV/AIDS pandemic as a public well being menace by 2030 and to help nations in growing sustainable responses to HIV. To guarantee our companies successfully attain those that want them most, we rely on common analysis. PEPFAR is a data-driven program, and one of our key funding areas is amassing and using information to observe the evolving HIV epidemic. This data helps us regulate our packages to align with the wants of the nation.
Population-Based HIV Impact Assessments (PHIAs), equivalent to the one we’re launching at present, are important for evaluating the effectiveness of HIV therapy and prevention packages in PEPFAR-supported nations in addition to measure every nation’s progress towards international HIV management targets. PEPFAR has funded PHIA surveys in 15 nations, together with Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, Ethiopia, and Uganda, to trace progress towards the 95-95-95 targets.
Uganda is one of 5 nations launching its third spherical of well being surveys, following earlier surveys performed in 2016 and 2020. This spherical is exclusive when in comparison with the final two rounds in two important methods:
- First, it’s the first UPHIA to be totally carried out by native companions. This achievement displays the capability that has been developed inside Uganda with U.S. help.
- Second, not like earlier survey rounds, this spherical additionally seeks to know the burden of non-communicable illnesses, a rising public well being concern for Uganda. This data will help the improvement of well being insurance policies and planning for a extra strong well being system.
With the UNAIDS fast-track targets set to finish the HIV epidemic by 2030, this survey comes at an opportune time to offer important data and focus the HIV program right here, if Uganda is to attain these targets inside the subsequent 5 years.
Building on insights from the 2016 and 2020 UPHIAs, in addition to nationwide AIDS Indicator surveys from 2005 and 2011, this survey will present nationwide estimates of HIV prevalence and viral suppression, together with variations by area, age, and intercourse. It may also accumulate information on antiretroviral drug resistance, which is crucial for optimizing drug selections for pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) and HIV therapy.
The final UPHIA highlighted important gaps in HIV case discovering, particularly amongst males and youth, which formed programming priorities over the previous 5 years.
The UPHIA 2024-2025 goals to go to 6,000 randomly chosen households throughout Uganda, involving at the least 15,000 individuals aged 15 and older. This is a big enterprise, and this survey launch is a fruits of cautious planning and laborious work by many people and organizations, together with the Ministry of Health, the Uganda Bureau of Statistics, and Makerere University School of Public Health, with technical help from U.S. CDC. Thank you to all on your efforts.
As groups head into the discipline for information assortment, your dedication to the protocol is crucial for not solely upholding moral requirements but additionally guaranteeing the integrity of the information collected. This is essential for enhancing the high quality of our findings, which can considerably inform Uganda’s HIV programming and response efforts.
In closing, the U.S. authorities commends the Ministry of Health, Makerere University School of Public Health, Uganda Bureau of Statistics, Uganda AIDS Commission, Uganda Virus Research Institute, and all stakeholders for his or her efforts in conducting the third UPHIA.
We are honored to help this survey’s vital work as we collectively search to attain a more healthy, extra affluent, and safer future the place HIV is not a menace to Uganda, the United States, or the world. Thank you.
