Antiretroviral Treatment Adherence Among HIV/AIDS Patients Highest in Uganda, AIDS Healthcare Foundation Vice President Reis Says

Uganda has the highest rate of people living with HIV/AIDS who adhere to their antiretroviral treatment regimens worldwide, AIDS Healthcare Foundation Vice President Peter Reis said last week, Xinhua/People's Daily reports. Speaking at an event at a hospital run by Uganda CARES -- a partnership between the Ministry of Health and AHF -- in the country's Masaka district, Reis said that drug adherence in Uganda is higher than in the U.S. and Europe. He added that people living with HIV/AIDS should encourage friends to access voluntary testing services and that AHF would provide HIV-positive people with drugs. Bernard Okongo -- AHF Africa bureau chief and Uganda CARES country coordinator who also spoke at the event -- said that people taking antiretrovirals should adhere to safe sex practices because re-exposure to HIV could promote resistance to first-line therapies. About 144,000 people in Uganda need antiretrovirals but only 63,896 are receiving them, according to Okongo (Xinhua/People's Daily, 3/20).