The Ministry of Health Permanent Secretary Dr. Diana Atwine has ridiculed the unbecoming practice of engaging in transactional sex among adolescents and young adults in search for material, monetary benefits and other favors.
Dr. Atwine says transactional sex has led to an increase in the number of young people catching HIV/AIDS and other Sexually Transmitted Diseases in addition to spurring the occurrence of teenage pregnancies.
She made these remarks while interacting with adolescents and young people at a pre-World AIDS Day conference held at Hotel Africana on Monday. The conference was part of the activities lined up to mark the World AIDS Day due on Friday December 1st 2023 themed “World AIDS Day 35: Remember and Commit.”
“During our discussions we noted that; many young people that have HIV are abandoning treatment thus deteriorating, many young people know they are HIV positive but go ahead to expose others to HIV, many mothers do not test for HIV while pregnant thus exposing babies to HIV and many young people are HIV positive but don’t know their status,” Dr. Atwine stated.
She further cautioned the adolescents against giving in to the demands of their raging hormones for short-term pleasure which many a time creates irreversible, long-term consequences such as contraction of HIV/AIDS.
“To you the young people, when we were your age, we also had hormones that demanded for sex but we waited. We also had unmet needs but did not exchange our bodies for favors and gifts. That is why we stayed in school, remained healthy and managed to grow into responsible, successful citizens. 20 or more years from now, you will be where we are. Make sure that you live in such a way that will enable you to be healthy and alive then,” she said.
Ahead of the World AIDS Day, the Ministry also launched the Global Alliance last week to End AIDS in children by 2030, renewing commitments made since 2015.
According to Dr. Atwine, despite the progress made in eliminating vertical HIV transmission (also known as Mother-to-Child Transmission), there remains gaps in identifying and testing all children and adolescents infected with HIV, ensuring adolescent pregnant and breastfeeding adolescents and young women access Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission of HIV(PMTCT) services and remain HIV free.
Other activities conducted in pre-World AIDS Day drive include the Inter University HIV awareness quiz which was held at the MTN Arena in Lugogo on Tuesday, aimed at creating awareness about HIV and its prevention measures.
This commemoration is a reminder of the struggle to end HIV-related stigma globally and the need to commit to working toward ending HIV as a public health threat.
The first World AIDS Day took place in 1988, providing a platform to raise awareness about HIV and AIDS and honor the lives affected by the epidemic. This year marks the 35th commemoration of this important day.