Uganda Shuns Gays in Anti-HIV Drive
June 3, 2008
The chairperson of the Uganda AIDS Commission said the nation's HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment programs will focus on such high-risk groups as truckers, sex workers, members of the armed forces, and residents of remote fishing villages, but not homosexuals. "Gays are one of the drivers of HIV in Uganda, but because of meager resources we cannot direct our programs at them at this time," Kihumuro Apuuli said ahead of an AIDS meeting in Kampala. Most of the estimated half-million gays among the country's population of 27 million keep their sexual orientation secret. Ugandan courts can punish homosexual acts with a sentence of life in prison, and even "attempted" homosexuality can land a person in jail for seven years. More than 1 million people in Uganda are HIV-positive.
6.02.2008; Frank Nyakairu
This article was provided by CDC National Prevention Information Network. It is a part of the publication CDC HIV/Hepatitis/STD/TB Prevention News Update.