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CONTENT:

1 - UGANDA: High HIV/AIDS levels among fishing communities

1 - UGANDA: High HIV/AIDS levels among fishing communities

KAMPALA, 19 July (PLUSNEWS) - Alarmingly high HIV/AIDS prevalence rates in

Ugandan fishing communities are threatening the lucrative fishing industry,

which brought some US $105 million into the country in 2004, a new government

survey has found.

" Chronic illness and death destroys livelihood and incomes, undermines the

skills base in the fishing workforce, and reduces productivity. This is a threat

to sustainable fisheries, poverty elimination and economic growth, " the report

said.

It added that the productivity of the fisheries sector, which makes up 12

percent of Uganda's Gross Domestic Product and nearly 20 percent of its total

exports, could witness a decline with the impact of HIV/AIDS.

The 2004 survey studied 21 communities living on the shores of Lake , Lake

, Lake Albert, the Albert Nile, at the border with the DR Congo and Lake

, which Uganda shares with the East African countries of Kenya and

Tanzania.

Recorded HIV/AIDS cases up to the end of 2002 showed that the highest prevalence

in the country was in districts located along the shoreline of Lake .

" Twenty four percent of fishers on Lake Albert were HIV-positive, compared to

four percent in the nearby agricultural villages. In Kasenyi [on] Lake ,

81 percent of the people who were able to access Voluntary Counseling and

Testing in 2004 were found to be HIV-positive, " the survey indicated.

The commissioner of fisheries, Dick Nyeko, said HIV/AIDS had the potential to

reduce the availability of fish " as people become too weak to fish and fishing

skills are lost " .

Nyeko observed that the sector produced affordable fish products that supported

food security for 17 million Ugandans annually. Over 300,000 tonnes of fish are

produced every year, with fish consumption accounting for fifty percent of all

animal protein consumption in the country.

An HIV/AIDS management official noted that most fishing communities lived in

clusters in isolated locations.

" This [isolation] makes it difficult for them to access basic services. They

lack access to safe water, latrines and healthcare, making them vulnerable to

illness, " Prof Rwomushana, director of research and quality development at

the Uganda AIDS Commission, said on Monday.

The survey found an increase in the number of fishermen opting to fish in

shallow waters as people became too weak to take on the strenuous task of

deep-water fishing.

" Fish breed in shallow areas. If these are heavily targeted, it has considerable

implications for the long-term state of the fish stock. A sick fishing labour

force will negate sustainable fishing, " it said.

Rwomushana said the government was using the findings to develop a road map for

all players to follow in order to mitigate the impact of HIV/AIDS on the fishing

sector.

The programme, coordinated by the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and

Fisheries, the Uganda AIDS Commission and other departments, will work to reduce

HIV transmission as a direct response to the threat it poses to the productivity

and sustainability of fisheries resources.

It will also help address other problems facing Uganda's lakeside communities,

including access to education, health centres, electricity, safe water and

roads.

The survey further found that none of the communities on Lake Kyoga, Lake

and Lake had access to safe drinking water, and frequent outbreaks of

cholera and dysentery were reported. The nearest hospitals were some 67 km away,

and took up to six hours to reach.

Up to 700,000 people are directly employed by the fishing sector in Uganda, and

1.2 million households are totally or partially dependent on the industry.

The country has seen national HIV/AIDS prevalence rates drop from 13 percent in

the early 1990s to 6 percent by 2004, but according to UNAIDS, the disease

remains the leading cause of death for Ugandans aged between 15 and 49 years.

[ENDS]

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