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August 18, 2009
With No Available Food, Positive Ugandans Abandon HIV Treatment
HIV-positive people in eastern Uganda are abandoning antiretroviral (ARV) medication because they don’t have the food required to take with the drugs, IRIN PlusNews reports. Health officials are concerned that these people will face drug resistance and die unless food becomes available. A prolonged dry spell has withered crops and left thousands without food.
“In our assessment in [the Ugandan subregion of] Teso, we found that HIV/AIDS patients take their ARV drugs on the understanding of food [being available]; in the absence of food, many stop taking their ARVs, and this risks their lives,” said Musa Ecweru, state minister for relief, disaster preparedness and refugees.
Poor nutrition compromises the body’s response to HIV, spurs disease progression and makes it difficult to take ARVs. In addition, food can reduce medication side effects and promote drug adherence.
According to the article, the government has spent $10 million on food for people in Teso, much of which is allocated specifically for people living with HIV. However, local leaders affirm that more is needed. Media have reported that more than 40 people in the region have died of hunger since May.
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