HIV/AIDS and Women's Health in Uganda: Lingering Gender Inequity

The issue of HIV/AIDS and women's health can be viewed in the context of (1) the unravelling epidemic, (2) the screening of women for HIV and the provision of ongoing surveillance, and (3) hope for the future, even though the battle against HIV has not been won. Ugandan society is patriarchal, and men control many aspects of women's lives including sexual matters and use of money in the household. The population growth in Uganda is among the highest in the world: 3.4% per annum, and in 2002, the country had a population of 24.4 million. One person in five (22.4%) is a woman of reproductive age.