Entebbe Uganda: HIV Stigmatization At Chris' Home And How It Affected His Initial ARV Adherence

Entebbe was Uganda's colonial Administrative City. It is near Lake Victoria and has broad undulating hills ideal for settlement. When the British arrived in Uganda, they chose it as their first settlement place.

The Kabaka had a palace in this area called Zika (from where the famous disease gets named) and mosquito infestation forced the Royals to relocate to Kampala. Before they left, legend has it that the King with a penchant for naming places after an event, named this place "Kuzika" meaning abandoned land. It was shortened to Zika.

The mosquito led early scientists to found a research laboratory next to this spot and it is locally called the Uganda Virus Research Institute (UVRI). If one took a motor-bike (Bodaboda) to UVRI, one would hear the locals shouting " ...ku virus...," " ......ku virus......." meaning their destination is to the UVRI and areas around there.

UVRI has a clinic serving people in this area. The Uganda Civil Aviation and most government departments have upscale apartment and bungalow housing estates in this area. So, this clinic was set up to serve this population.

We talked to the in-charge and we were told this clinic offers Comprehensive HIV services. This is where Chris got his HIV testing done and was told he had HIV.  What triggered this test was the on/off fever and cold sweats he experienced at night.

Chris was 17 years when he got his diagnosis in September 2015. He had just finished High School and was ready to join University. This diagnosis changed his life trajectory.

At 11 years, Chris completed Primary seven (7) with full distinction. He was able to join one of the best performing Secondary Schools in Uganda found along Entebbe Highway. Chris' biological mother died immediately after giving birth to Chris. Chris was cared for by the mother's relatives. At 6 years Chris came to live with his father. 

The father is a Civil Aviation Engineer and the wife is a stay-home mother. She runs three corner shops and a catering/event organizing facility. She gets booked on all weekends and she uses all hands available. She has 6  biological children. They are a happy, hard-working and close-knit family.

Well, that was the case until Chris got the HIV diagnosis.

Chris was 15 years and was a member of the school's top-rated mathematics club. It was with an older student who was leaving the school that he had unprotected sexual intercourse. It was a debut, it was rough, it was quick, at the beach with peers who knew each other like the back of their palms. 

This one person introduced Chris to many others in the school with whom they enjoyed unprotected anal sexual intercourse and were so close-knit that it was hard for an outsider to join.

They kept close for two years but later in the years started drifting apart. The older student had other partners and so did Chris. It was not long before, that Chris heard of the shocking news about the older student.

The older student had HIV and on knowing it, had committed suicide. But the bit about suicide did not get to Chris. All he heard was that the older student had passed away at their home. The house-help is the one who found the deceased. 

The glazed stare a pedestal for a few blue flies attracted by decay and the dripping mucous had brought in small black ants. A post mortem revealed he had died two days before. They found a contorted body and a lingering dyzon-like smell in the room. No bottle was left around. But again, the postmortem showed massive abdominal haemorrhage.  The deceased was buried two days later. Chris got to know of this death via Facebook and it was confirmed through their own grapevine. His life started deteriorating.

Soon he had the fevers, night sweats, incontinence and headaches. When he revealed his status to the mother all the sweetness at home evaporated. Even when his Uganda Advanced Certificate Examination results in mathematics, Chemistry, Biology, Physics and Computer Science showed he had scored A-; A+; B+; A-; and A+, none of his family members acknowledged that feat. 

Two years later, we reached out to Chris and today we celebrated three months of deep and aggressive counselling support. He initiated plans to take his medications and we moved him to another place away from home. He now is an assistant teacher of  Mathematics and Physics in a Kampala Capital City Authority Suburb Secondary School.