Most At Risk Populations' Society in Uganda (MARPS in Uganda)

A story by Tina Rosenberg SEPT. 19, 2017 A couple of years ago, European researchers began  studying more than a thousand couples , gay and straight, in which one member had been infected with H.I.V. and the other hadn’t. These couples weren’t using condoms. But the infected partner was taking antiretrovirals successfully; the virus was suppressed, undetectable in the blood. The researchers published their results in July 2016 in the Journal of the American Medical Association. Can you guess how many times, over the course of more than a year, an infected partner gave an uninfected partner H.I.V.? A. 928 B. 0 C. 503 D. 17 The answer is B. Zero. And in that fact lies hope. How do you stop AIDS? Not just treating H.I.V., but ending the epidemic. Even when there’s no vaccine and no cure. Part of the answer can be witnessed in a white trailer on the grounds of a polyclinic in Hatcliffe, a dusty town in the northern part of greater Harare, Zimbabwe. Even befor...

“Why are you so concerned about HIV, HIV Laws, Stigma and Discrimination?” A reader asked.   We answered that it was important to unravel the skein of interlinking issues. HIV is a killer disease and once it has infected a human being, we all have to put on the hat of compassion. I would have said “period’ out loud because that is the right time to say it. Not only do we have to put on the hat of compassion but avoiding stigmatizing and discriminating such persons by word, action or inaction.   HIV is a debilitating disease, it attacks the immune system thereby rendering one living with it vulnerable to infections they would otherwise fend off. When the person does not receive medication, it may lead to death. AIDS transmission is criminalized, therefore a person who has HIV-AIDS must check to know status and always protect her/himself and those around her/him. Many people living with HIV face stigma and discrimination due to fears and attributes of denigration....

Mountain Elgon (Locally called Masaba) Rocks feature so highly in the traditions of the different cultures of Uganda. The names of most regions get nomenclature from some formation in rock form. Cultures have developed oratory around hegemony, solidity, compactness, firmness, rigidity, strength, fame and triumph based on the metaphor of the rock. Mbale, Masaba, Rwenzururu, Ruwenzori, Kabale, Lusozi, Kisozi, Moroto or in oratory such as that of the Mystical Rembi “The rebel Chief of the House of Yakanye” Rembi jo Yakanye. All these are metaphorical-physical-social-cultural phenomena passed to subsequent generations as cue to find meaning in life. This is one way, humans see in each other steadfastness. Perhaps, that is why, even when we fall, we seem to rise up. Or as the Kakwa (Kakuwa) of West Nile see the Mystical Chief Rembe who rose up from the fires he was thrown into, unscathed and all the while smoking a pipe! For more on the Kakuwa: https://kakuwaweb.wordpress.com/ka...

An Open Letter: The use of HIV/AIDS as a way of laying emphasis of deliberate contamination of soft drinks from a brand company sends a different message and is a weapon of scare triggers and entrenches stigma. The use of HIV/AIDS as a way of laying emphasis of deliberate contamination of soft drinks from a brand company sends a different message and is a weapon of scare triggers and entrenches stigma. It incites the general public to harm those living with HIV. It entrenches endemic stigma and discrimination. HIV/AIDS still looms large on the African continent. It has impacted all ranges of life. When it is used as a scare tool, the idea of being humane to Persons living with HIV is negated and defeated. A recent note doing the rounds via social media   about a person employed by a well established brand soft drink maker  is negative and depicts the company in a bad light. HIV/AIDS should not be used to fight proxy wars or as an excuse to ...