A new national strategic plan was launched in Uganda to reverse its increasing HIV prevalence, AllAfrica.com reports.

The plan—titled Moving Towards Universal Access—comes at a time when the HIV prevalence rate is at a high of 6.7 percent, according to 2006 HIV/AIDS statistics.

AIDS-related deaths have gone down since 1994, but the increase in HIV infections is attributed to complacency among policymakers and the general population. Multiple sex partners and inconsistent condom use are additional factors behind the rise in HIV infections.

Reports show that nearly half of the women and 33 percent of the men who know their spouse is infected do not use protection. Eighteen percent of men and 5 percent of women admit to having extramarital sex, and condom use in casual sex is minimal at best.

The plan targets reducing new HIV infections, preventing mother–to-child transmissions and facilitating universal access to essential services.