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Daniel Ojara | Oyam, (UG): A report on health released this week by the Most At Risk Population Initiative (MARPI), an organization working in Oyam district, indicates that the HIV/AIDS prevalence rate among adolescents aged 15 to 25 is high in Oyam district.
The report shows that in Oyam district, the number of new HIV cases ranges from 280 to 350 monthly, and from 15 to 25 weekly, mostly among adolescent people aged 15 to 25 years.
Dr. Kyambadde Peter, the regional coordinator for MARPI in the northern region, says the high rate of HIV/AIDS infection among adolescents in Oyam district is linked to an increasing number of sex workers among young adolescent girls, poverty in households, and parents relaxing their role in parenting.
However, Oyam district LC 5 chairman, Mr. Dilla Benson, says that in order to reduce the high cases of HIV among adolescent girls in Oyam district, there is a need for sex education in schools to guide adolescents on the dangers of early sex. Parents should also begin sensitizing children against peer pressure, while religious leaders must be involved in providing guidance.
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According to the Uganda Population-based HIV Impact Assessment (UPHIA) survey of 2017, there were 148,442 people living with HIV/AIDS positive in nine districts in the Lango sub-region.
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