New report reveals less Ugandans are using condoms

A new report by the Uganda Aids Commission has revealed that fewer Ugandans today are using condoms compared to previous years.

The report, titled the Annual Joint Review Report, revealed that this year (2023), only 141 million condoms have been used, compared to 200 million last year.

It further revealed that the distribution of condoms across the country was short by 36% of the expected 328 million condoms and that HIV/AIDS infections among Ugandans remain high.

Experts have expressed caution following this revelation.

Some of the reasons for the less usage of condoms highlighted in the report included: Some ladies think condoms make them dry; some people have no money to buy; some men have oversized genitals; and others are not sexually satisfied with condoms.

This year, another study done by the Medical Research Council and the Uganda Virus Research Institute revealed that 14% of Ugandans living with HIV/AIDS are depressed.

The study also revealed that Masaka district topped all districts in Uganda with such communities.

An excessive amount of melancholy, loss of interest in formerly enjoyable activities, poor focus, and loss of appetite are some of the symptoms of depression, a mental disease.

Out of the 500 people who participated in the study in the districts of Wakiso, Masaka, and Mpigi, 19.4% from Masaka were depressed, compared to 8% in Entebbe, according to Prof. Eugene Kinyanda, head of the mental health focus at the Medical Research Council Unit in Uganda.

Kinyanda said the study also showed a link between depression and accelerated HIV disease progression as well as poor antiretroviral medication adherence in HIV/AIDS patients.

The executive director of the Uganda Virus Research Institute, Prof. Pontiano Kaleebu, stressed the necessity of integrating mental health treatment-related services in HIV/AIDS care centres while officiating at the presentation of the study’s findings.

According to Prof. Kaleebu, “We hope the results will improve our management of depression not only in Uganda but also in other African nations where management of mental health is really lagging.”

According to the Ministry of Health, an estimated 1.5 million people in Uganda are HIV/AIDS positive and on treatment.