Uganda: Door-to-Door HIV Testing Starts in Kampala

On June 5, the Uganda Health Marketing Group launched a three-year mobile van project to provide HIV/AIDS counseling and testing (HCT) for high-risk populations in five divisions of Kampala, Uganda. Prossy Kayiira, HCT coordinator, stated that the project targeted populations such as boda boda (motorcycle taxi) riders, mechanics, commercial sex workers, homosexuals, and bus and taxi drivers in slums, streets, car parks, clubs, and other "comfort places." The intervention aimed to deliver awareness and prevention to the public and to support existing Kampala Capitol City Authority clinics.

The HCT van was equipped with a reception area, two counseling rooms, and a laboratory. The mobile van became necessary because urban dwellers were desensitized to HIV issues and reluctant to visit public clinics for early testing, which resulted in increased HIV risk.

The 2011 Uganda Demographic Health Survey indicated HIV prevalence rose from 6.4 percent in 2006 to 7.3 percent in 2011, and was concentrated in urban areas and central Uganda. According to the Uganda AIDS Indicator Survey 2011, HIV prevalence in Kampala was 6.9 percent.

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