A leading Ugandan doctor has urged theUnited States to maintain momentum with investment in global aids funding. Dr. PeterMugyenyi also called for increased funding for the president?s emergency planfor aids relief (PEPFAR).
Dr.Mugyenyi, a pioneer in the use of antiretroviral treatment in Uganda, is the Executivedirector of Uganda joint clinical research center (UJCRC) ? one of the largest PEPFAR- supported treatment centers in Africa.
Hewas in Washington as a special guest of Physicians for Human Rights and met administrationofficials and members of the US congress.
Hetold VOA?s Douglas Mpuga that PEPFAR funding was very crucial as the programwas supporting UJCRC to give treatment to over 30,000 Ugandans. ?It has also assistedUJCRC to establish laboratories in each and every region of the county. These laboratorieshave been crucial for Uganda to provide the most advanced HIV diagnostic andmonitoring tests for patients,? he said.
Dr.Mugyenyi hailed the reception accorded to him in Washington, saying ?what Iconsider to have been the main achievement is that I have been able to explainthe situation of HIV/AIDS in Africa and the need for increased funding tosupport treatment for more of our people?.
He said increased funding would also help the countryto do a more robust preventive initiative so that both treatment and preventionare aided in order to get on top of the scourge on our continent?.
?Ourmission has been to explain to them (US policy makers) that the situation ofAIDS in Africa is still very critical,? he added. ?We have only 3 millionpeople being treated with antiretroviral drugs in Africa and yet 5 million arein immediate need of antiretroviral therapy?.
Dr.Mugyenyi explained that Africa has 23 million people who are infected with HIVand every year at least one million added onto that number continue to needtreatment. He said there is a strong case for increased funding. ?If we don?t getincreased funding, the situation of AIDS on our continent will get out of hand,and when that happens it will be more expensive to handle in future?.
Ugandahas an HIV infection rate of about 6.4% compared to 15-30% in the past decade.Dr. Mugyenyi said although this is an improvement there are still one million Ugandansinfected with HIV, 150,000 children living with HIV, and most worrying is thatin 2007 there were 130,000 who were newly infected with HIV. ?To put it inperspective; for every 2 people we treat 5 more get newly infected. It means wehave got to strength treatment as well as prevention at the same time.?
PEPFARwas created in 2003 and provided $18.8 billion to support HIV prevention, careand treatment in its five years. Since its launch, the number of people livingwith HIV on antiretroviral therapy in sub-Saharan Africa has increased from 50,000 to 3 million, of whom 2.1 million are supported by PEPFAR.