RUBIRIZI – Rubirizi District is reeling from a worsening HIV/AIDS crisis, having registered 132 new cases in a span of three months, raising the total number of infected persons to a staggering 5,145.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!The shocking revelation was made by the Rubirizi District Health Officer (DHO), Dr. Aida Nankyinga, during the district health performance review engagement this week.
The DHO said that the district, with a population of 172,982 people, is grappling with over 5,145 residents living with HIV/AIDS, a figure that represents nearly 3% of the local population.
Dr. Aida Nankyinga identified a dangerous triad fueling the spread of HIV in the district: alcohol and substance abuse, deep-seated stigma, and untreated sexually transmitted infections.
She noted that young people and women are bearing the brunt of the epidemic, urging people to prioritize their health by regularly visiting health facilities to check their HIV status.
“Knowing your health early allows you to start medication and live a healthy life. Risky behaviors, fear of testing, and untreated STIs have created a perfect storm for HIV transmission amid rising concern among us, the district health watchdogs,” Dr. Nankyinga stressed.
Nankyinga called for a radical shift in social norms, urging parents to take an active role in their children’s sexual education, arguing that honest conversations need to be held in homes to protect the next generation.
The In-Charge of Rugazi Health Centre IV, Dr. Nuwamanya Primu, revealed that Rubirizi District is home to over 5,145 people living with HIV, including 3,224 females and 1,789 males, with 188 patients being pregnant mothers.
Primu further broke down the data by age, showing that 64 children aged 0–9, 195 aged 10–19, 730 aged 20–29, 1,595 aged 30–39, and 2,429 aged 40 and above are living with the virus in the district.
He identified Katunguru Subcounty, Kicwamba Subcounty, and Rubirizi Town Council as the hardest-hit hotspots, with Rugazi Health Centre IV alone managing over 2,118 HIV patients, representing a staggering 41% of all cases in the district.
“Of the 5,145 people living with HIV in the district, 3,224 are women, 1,789 are men, while 188 are pregnant mothers. The hardest-hit areas are Katunguru, Kicwamba, and Rubirizi Town Council. At Rugazi Health Centre IV facility alone, we care for over 2,118 HIV patients. This is a big problem, and we need everyone to help,” Dr. Primu stated.
He pointed to poverty, ignorance, hunger, and domestic violence as the root drivers of HIV in Rubirizi, noting that economic desperation often forces women and youth into risky survival strategies like generational sex.
The In-Charge urged stakeholders to prioritize economic empowerment initiatives for at-risk women and youth, stressing that reducing dependence on dangerous survival behaviors is key to stopping the spread of HIV.
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