Kampala Key, Vulnerable and Priority Populations (KVP) News

On a topic such as this it’s best to get right to it and dip your toes in…or a douche as it were. Specifically we are referring to the act of anal douching, its reasons, benefits and some good things to know and consider when cleaning the old pipes! It’s also always good to consider hygiene in any anal play whether it is in preparation or if you plan on making anal douching part of the sexual play itself. Since we are jumping right in it should be noted we will be touching on the dreaded subject of fecal matter. Don’t be skeert! It’s why anal douching is important and since its use is specific to one part of the anatomy both males and females have in common that the same rules apply for both sexes. In fact it should be noted that many people believe the same feminine hygienic products used to douche the vagina are good enough to clean the rectum but most of these products are not created to clean the rectum and contain ingredients that can leave the rectum in an unhealthy state (st...

1. Know Your Epidemic 2. Know Your Social Services 3. Know Your Marginalized Population 4. Know Your Needs 5. Know Your Reporting Mechanisms @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@ PROACTIVELY PROTECT YOURSELF FROM HIV, BRING DOWN THE VIRUS WITH  TRUVADA FOR PrEP —ONE TABLET, ONCE DAILY The only medication approved to significantly reduce the risk of sexually acquired HIV-1 in individuals at risk, in combination with safer sex practices @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@ U.S. AND GLOBAL HEALTH GUIDELINES RECOMMEND  TRUVADA FOR PrEP   IN COMBINATION WITH SAFER SEX PRACTICES TO HELP REDUCE THE RISK OF SEXUALLY ACQUIRED   HIV-1   IN INDIVIDUALS AT RISK ARV Provider Organizations should: Provide criteria for determining a person's risk of HIV infection and for TRUVADA FOR PrEP use Include TRUVADA FOR PrEP as a prevention option for  HIV-1–negative  individuals at risk for HIV infection Emphasize the importa...

HIV Must Not Win! Keep working harder, Do not give up.

We at MARPS in Uganda, protest the ill-treatment of women, sexual minorities, sex-workers and people living with HIV.  We call upon the different African countries to rally together and come up with means ensuring economic development, job opportunities and quality sustenance for the populace.  Condemn the mistreatment of women in countries where they are promised jobs only to find they are to be enslaved and ill-treated.  We reiterate that there are still people living with HIV  who are missing HIV Prevention and Care Services. We vehemently denounce the deliberate disservice and impunity meted out to LGBTIQQ when they seek the very services to protect their dignity and ensure due diligence; the indiscriminate expulsion, evictions and other forms of abuses. Stop the abuses on the African continent. We are therefore going to stay off air for quite some time to show solidarity with  sexual minorities, sex-workers and people living with HIV.  ...

This is an article by Gus Cairns (August 2018). We are sharing it with you and hopefully, you will pick up some clues as to why PrEP uptake is slow in Africa.  Numerous PrEP initiation projects started in the last year – but retention is a problem. This year, 2018, will be the year that a really significant number of people in Africa started HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP),  the AIDS2018 conference in Amsterdam  heard last week. PrEP was probably the dominant subject at this year’s conference – there were far more sessions devoted to it than any other topic – and even more notable was the fact that the majority of them concerned PrEP in Africa and in populations other than gay men and men who have sex with men. Pilot PrEP projects have been underway in some African countries for several years. But it has only been since late 2017 that some countries – notably Kenya and South Africa, and also eSwatini, which is the new name for Swaziland – have started ser...

Q and A Forum: Competencies needed for health literacy. In order to accomplish tasks, individuals may need to be: Visually literate (able to understand graphs or other visual information); computer literate (able to operate a computer); information literate (able to obtain and apply relevant information); numerically or computationally literate (able to calculate or reason numerically).

Patients are often faced with complex information and treatment decisions.  Patients need to: Have oral language skills to articulate their health concerns and describe their symptoms accurately; access health care services; analyze relative risks and benefits; calculate dosages; communicate with healthcare providers; evaluate information for credibility and quality; interpret test results; locate health information.

Q and A Forum: Health literacy is a necessary life promoting skill. It is the degree to which individuals have the capacity to obtain, process, and understand basic health information and services needed to make appropriate health decisions. It means reading, listening, analytical, and decision-making skills, as well as the ability to apply these skills to health situations.

A culture in which all actors are allowed to obtain and benefit from information, education and communication that help us better understand and utilize health services or engage in life promoting practices.  This is irrespective of cultural backgrounds, belief systems, communication styles, and understanding and response to health information, education and communication.  

There are different places where safe medical male circumcision is done in Uganda.  USAID/Uganda HIV/AIDS and Health Initiates at Workplaces Activity-HIWA provide FREE Medical Male Circumcision at Kibuli Police Health Center.  For HIV prevention, improved personal hygiene and reduction of spread & acquisition of STDs. For details call on out Toll free line 0800 100 700.

Breastfeeding is life promoting.  This holds true even for HIV positive mothers.  Breastfeeding is safe and of great benefit to your baby. Ask your health worker on safe breastfeeding practices.