KAMPALA – The national celebrations for World Aids Day will be held on Sunday, December 1 in Kayunga district, the government has announced.
Addressing a press conference at the Uganda Media Centre in Kampala on Wednesday, November 27, 2019, Ms Esther Mbayo, the minister in charge of the presidency, said Kayunga was chosen due to high HIV prevalence that currently stands at 7.6%, caused by high presence of most-at-risk populations, including the fishing community and migrant workers, as well as high teenage pregnancy currently at 24%.
President Yoweri Museveni is expected to be the chief guest at the event.
Ms Mbayo said the national theme for this year’s day is ‘Engaging Young People to Champion the End of New HIV Infections’.
She said young people (15-24 years) contribute 34% of new HIV infections annually.
The minister also revealed that a public lecture in memory of the late Philly Bongole Lutaaya will be held on December 29 to recognise the deceased artiste’ selfless effort in breaking the stigma and discrimination around HIV/AIDS.
The lecture will be held under the theme ‘Sustainability of Uganda’s HIV and AIDS Response Beyond 2020’ and will provide the opportunity to explore possibilities of increasing domestic financing for Uganda’s HIV/AIDS response.
The keynote speaker during the lecture event will be Dr Alex Coutinho who has practised medicine and public health in Africa for the past 35 years.