Nearly One Million Ugandans Have Died of AIDS-Related Causes Since 1983, Report Says
Nearly one million Ugandans have died of AIDS-related causes since the disease was first reported in the country in 1983, according to a report issued yesterday by the Ugandan Health Ministry, the Associated Press reports. According to the report, which was compiled using data from government and private hospitals in the country's 56 districts, 947,552 people -- including 427,153 women, 425,644 men and 94,755 children aged 15 or younger -- have died of AIDS-related causes since 1983. AIDS-related causes are responsible for 12% of deaths in Uganda and are now the leading cause of death among adults. One million of Uganda's 24 million people are currently HIV-positive, according to the report. Uganda has often been cited as an AIDS "success stor[y]" for its progress in lowering HIV prevalence rates (Associated Press, 10/24). The country's HIV prevalence rate is currently 5%, down from 30% in 1992 (Xinhua News Agency, 10/24). However, the rate of decline has slowed, and the nation is spending about 0.8% of its gross domestic product annually to fight the disease (Associated Press, 10/24).
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