Dr Watiti bemoans high number of children born with HIV/AIDS

KAMPALA - Dr Stephen Watiti, a member of the Uganda AIDS Commission board has expressed anxiety over the high number of children born with HIV/AIDS.

Watiti raised the concern while making a presentation during a Judiciary health awareness camp at the Judicial Training Institute (JTI) at Nakawa, Kampala on Friday.

The camp was organised by the Judiciary Committee on HIV/AIDS headed by Maureen Kasande, an undersecretary at the Judiciary.

“Nobody in Uganda should get infected with HIV/AIDS at this time. It is actually criminal. We have almost 5,000 babies born with HIV/AIDS in Uganda, now if this is not a crime, what is it? I think one day these children will take you to the International Criminal Court (ICC) over it. With the information you have about HIV/AIDS, why do you have unprotected sex with a person you don’t know of their status?” Watiti asked.

Watiti implored the Judiciary staffers to avoid having unprotected sexual intercourse with anybody without establishing their status. He said this is not only dangerous for them but also frustrates the goal to eliminate HIV/AIDS by 2030.

“When having sex for pleasure, why don’t you use the condom? Stop new infections. A lot of babies are getting infected and we can stop it yesterday,” Watiti said.

Watiti noted that statistics show that young women and adolescent girls are now the ones getting most infected inviting the women in the Judiciary to write their names on the list of the new presidential initiative of zero infections.

“I am here to tell you that HIV/AIDS is stoppable. For me, recently I celebrated my 71st birthday but I have lived two lives, one life of about 35 years when I didn’t have HIV and another of more than 35 years with HIV. I know the pain of losing your wife, I lost Margret and at 35 years she was a bank manager but she died. Can you imagine that I got infected at 47 years old but now I have grandchildren and this is because I swallow ARVs. I don’t think I am going to die of AIDS because I don't have constant medical check-ups,” Watiti said.

He said many Ugandans die of HIV/AIDS because they do not take the medicine and those who bother to do so do not follow the instructions.

“If you are on ARVs, always carry it and do not fear to swallow it even in the middle of your meetings or court sessions when time comes because it is about your life not about what others say,” Watiti said.

Watiti said what gives hope is that death arising out of HIV/AIDS has come down.
Watiti, however, said it is important that those who die of HIV/AIDS are announced at funerals to create awareness.

“We have a problem that people who read death reports are not telling the truth about people dying of HIV/AIDS and I think we should put them to task. It is time to declare. When you go to funerals, nobody announces that some have died of HIV and this is a problem,” Watiti said.

Watiti also tasked the Judiciary staffers to sensitise members of their families about HIV/AIDS saying it is giving the correct message that is going to make elimination of new infections a reality.

“Homosexuals are not dying of AIDS, why are we dying of AIDS,” Watiti said. Watiti implored the judiciary staffers to make use of self-test kits before having sex with anybody.

“If you check yourself and it turns out that you are positive, please don’t hang yourself, you can live for more years like me,” he said.

Citing an official in Kampala who used to send a driver to Katakwi district to pick his ARVs, Watiti implored the Judiciary to fight stigma saying it makes people feel ashamed and end up dying.

Watiti also encouraged judiciary staffers to avoid self-medication saying it is becoming a big problem.

“Some of you are judges’ others studied other things, please if you are not feeling well, don’t claim to know health issues because you are not a doctor. Check for HIV and other diseases like cancer, pressure, and mental illness because it is also a big problem in this country,” he said.

Dorothy Ssempala, deputy register with inspectorate of courts who represented Kasande said they organised the health camp not only to sensitise the Judiciary staffers about HIV/AIDS but also to eliminate stigma and discrimination among the judiciary staffers.

Ssempala said the Judiciary also offers financial support to members who declare their HIV/AIDS status.

Prossy Katusabe, a registrar at JTI said the judiciary is part of the program of ending HIV/AIDS by 2030.

Elias Kakooza, the Nakawa Chief Magistrate appreciated the health camp saying it was important for them because they now know how to live happily even with HIV/AIDS.

Joanita Kemigisha, the head of communication and advocacy at Uganda Aids Commission noted that 30,000 infections occur in a year but unfortunately, 22,000 are women. 

She said complacency and stigma are a big problem in the fight against HIV/AIDS.
Kemigisha said the judiciary should think about commemorating World HIV/AIDS Day for purpose of creating awareness among its staffers.  

World HIV/AIDS Day for this year is slated for December 1 at Bukungu Primary School in Buyende district. 

“You need to live responsibly because your health is your wealth,” Kemigisha said.

Statistics

Uganda has made significant progress in the fight against HIV/AIDS. HIV prevalence has reduced from 18% in the 1990s to 5.1% today. 

Currently, about 1.49 million people are living with HIV in Uganda of whom 92% know their status and on life-saving ARVs.

 Since 2006, new HIV infections have reduced from 68,000 to 38,000 and AIDS-related deaths have reduced from 30,000 to 20,000.