HIV/AIDS Situation among Young People in Uganda:

Despite the national and local strategies to reduce HIV/AIDS prevalence rates in Uganda, the HIV/AIDS epidemic continues to threaten the political, social, and economic development issues in this country with a population of about 26.8 million. The vast majority of HIV infections occur in the population segment between ages 15 and 49. Actual HIV infection rates in the 15 to 24 year age range vary between 3.7% to 5.6% among females and 2.0% to 2.4% among males. Thus, between ages 12 and 24, females are becoming infected at a higher rate than their male counterparts. However, after age 24, males are more at risk of becoming infected with HIV than are females MOH 2001. Young people's vulnerability to HIV/AIDS infection is further aggravated by entrenched poverty, neglect of girls, and other cultural or traditional norms and gender-biased beliefs.

Like many African countries, Uganda still has an extremely high number of youth who become sexually active at an early age (between ages 15 and 19), although in Uganda the percentage of sexually experienced youth decreased between 1989 and 1995 UNAIDS 1995.

This cultural situation, combined with the higher rates of actual infection for young girls, suggests that girls are at a higher risk of HIV/AIDS infection, as well as other reproductive health problems, than their male counterparts are. In Uganda, children with special needs-such as orphans, street children, and children with disabilities-are also very vulnerable to HIV/AIDS infections. These children are even less able to protect themselves against HIV than the children who are physically and mentally able and who live in more secure circumstances.

HIV/AIDS clearly affects the lives of young people in Uganda, and these young people-particularly girls and those with special needs-are in great need of reproductive health and HIV/AIDS information and education. However, in order to achieve the highest benefit, the youth must put this information and education into practice. Uganda's national policy for fighting AIDS has been to give it a human face and to expose it openly and directly as a total enemy. As a result of this national openness, Uganda has achieved a very high degree of HIV/AIDS awareness. UYAAS is a model example of an organization that helps protect the youth of Uganda by providing HIV/AIDS prevention education and by facilitating behavioural change as the youth put education into practice.