Spread of HIV in north threatens national gains

HIV/AIDS infection rates are rising in Uganda's war-torn northern areas, despite a decrease in national prevalence, a local newspaper, The East African, reported. According to a recent report by the global relief organisation, World Vision, prevalence rates in these areas were almost double the national average - most notably in Gulu - the largest and most densely populated of the conflict-affected districts. The report indicated infection rates ranging from 0.7 percent at Matany hospital in Kotido district in north eastern Uganda, to 11.9 percent at Lacor hospital in Gulu. "If the conflict continues to spread further south and east, and a culture of war and displacement begins to take root, HIV/AIDS prevalence rates are likely to rise elsewhere, and Uganda will lose many of the gains that the country has worked hard to achieve," World Vision warned.