By; John B. Thawite
Kasese has been selected to host this year’s national
function to commemorate the World AIDS Day on 1st December 2015, the
Uganda AIDS Commission has revealed.
A document from the office of the
Director-General of the Uganda AIDS Commission Director-General, Dr Christine
Ondoa, says His Excellency the President of the Republic of Uganda will grace
the function as the chief guest.
The day, which is held rotationally in
different district each year, will be marked under the theme: “Getting
to Zero, My responsibility,”
which is within the Global theme for the World AIDS Campaign of “Zero
new HIV infections, zero stigma and zero AIDS-related deaths.”
Chairing the first meeting of the Kasese
District Organising Committee on Monday, an Assistant Chief Administrative
Officer, Mr. Johnson Mutungwanda, said the function will be held at Nyaksanga
Play Ground in Kasese Municipality, because the venue is central and spacious
enough.
In a press statement issued statement issued
Thursday 5th December, 2015, the Kasese District Information Officer
and District HIV Focal Person, John B. Thawite, urged general public has been
urged to re-examine their roles and commitments to the prevention and control
of the HIV/AIDS epidemic.
“We appeal to all leaders at various levels -
civil society, private sector and faith-based organisations, groups and
individuals - to cooperate and embrace the campaign and as one way of
preventing further transmission of HIV and to mitigate its effects among the
infected and the affected,” John Thawite said.
He said the World AIDS Day theme is meant to
remind us that getting to zero will be realised only if individuals take
measures to protect themselves and their loved ones from getting infected and
to ensure that those infected and affected are not demonised.
In the press statement, Mr. Thawite,
therefore asked the general public to turn up in large number to accord the
commemoration the importance it deserves.
Significance
of World AIDS Day
World Aids Day is one of the most recognized
international health days in the world.
It serves as a platform and an opportunity to
raise awareness and advocacy, community mobilisation and re-energising the role
of leaders at household, community and national levels towards HIV prevention
and control.
World AIDS also serves to take stock of the
achievements, challenges, commemorate those who have passed away and to
re-dedicate ourselves to the fight against the epidemic.
