Men's union encourages men to be more open about HIV

A pioneering support group in Uganda is urging men living with HIV/AIDS to own up to their condition rather than putting themselves and their families at risk by staying in denial. The Positive Men's Union (POMU), promotes the involvement of men living with HIV/AIDS in efforts to curb the spread of the pandemic, encouraging them to seek treatment, and counselling to deal with the psychological difficulties of living with the virus. Richard Serunkuuma, 34, POMU's national coordinator, says men suffer inside, unable to admit their status to their families. "AIDS used to be like a big sin, and I didn't want to be regarded as a sinner. Not knowing who to turn to was the cause of a lot of pain," he recalled. The founding members say they are the only organisation specifically targeting men, while the number of women's groups has soared. Cultural norms in Uganda dictate that men should provide for their families, not ask for help, and that illness is equated with weakness, which fosters reluctance among men to come forward for treatment. AIDS organisations are also concerned that a significant percentage of men do not undergo treatment after discovering their positive status. Serunkuuma said he found out he was HIV-positive at the age of 20 after taking a blood test, and went through months of agonising over how to break the news to his family and deal with his condition. At The Aids Support Organisation (TASO), one of the country's leading providers of care and support for HIV sufferers, 65 percent of patients are women. A countrywide population-based survey in 2004-05 indicated that the prevalence had rate remained static at 6.4 percent in adults between 15 and 49 years old, but the latest Uganda HIV/AIDS Sero-behavioural Survey showed higher prevalence among women (7.3 percent) than men (5.2 percent). These figures do not account for the difference between the numbers of women and men seeking counselling and treatment, Serunkuuma argued. He suspected that the disparity is even greater in the rural population, where social stigma is harder to overcome. According to POMU, the tendency of men not to seek help and advice jeopardised efforts to counter the spread of the epidemic and had a negative impact on the welfare of families. "Imagine a polygamous man who hides his sero-status from his wives," said Serunkuuma. "He is likely to infect those women, he is likely to fall sick and be unable to provide for his family." TASO's director of advocacy, Peter Ssebbanja, said it was crucial to target men, as they were the decision-makers in the Ugandan family. "What POMU can achieve is getting men to 'come out' [acknowledge their status]. If they can convince HIV-infected men to accept their diagnosis and get treatment then it will be a significant step forward." "We need men to realise the importance of voluntary testing and for them to believe testing is a standard part of medical care," he added. POMU operates in collaboration with partners like TASO in 14 districts, including the war-ravaged northern district of Gulu, where the Lord's Resistance Army has waged a campaign of fear for 20 years, killing and maiming civilians, and raping thousands of women and girls. Serunkuuma estimates that 2,000 HIV-positive men have signed up to the organisation, which has an annual budget of about US$1,100. "Membership is relatively low," he said, "but men are accepting the need to come together for support."