Next month, Uganda will begin manufacturing generic versions of antiretroviral drugs in order to make them more affordable and accessible to people living with HIV in the country.
About 6.7 percent of adults in Uganda are HIV positive. Currently about 100,000 people are accessing antiretroviral drugs, as opposed to the 300,000 that need them, according the head of Uganda’s AIDS Control Program, Dr. Elizabeth Madraa.
By swapping costly brand name meds for generics made at home, health officials hope to reach more people and cut down on treatment delays for HIV positive patients: "We shall not have to wait for shipment," said Uganda’s director of general health services, Dr. Sam Zaramba, who said that it can take up to six months to receive drug shipments from outside of the country.
Beth Benne, RN, is HIV negative, but
the virus has impacted her life. She currently supervises a biannual HIV/AIDS awareness week as
the director of the student health center at Pierce College, a
community commuter school in Woodland Hills, California.
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Overheard in the Women's Forum
"I recently met a guy who is negative. I did tell him about my status and he decided to kiss me anyway (we didn't go further than that). But a day later, he called and said that he actually had a mouth ulcer that time when we kissed and he was very worried. Asked if he can get the virus from me that way. For that moment, I felt so insulted and yet I felt so bad. It was my first time having a contact with a "negative" guy."
