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Death Sentence for Intenional Infection of Minors with HIV

by Medindia Content Team on Jul 3 2006 3:49 PM

The Ugandan government has proposed a bill before parliament seeking death sentences for AIDS sufferers who intentionally infect minors. The Ugandan government has been internationally hailed for its success to bring down the AIDS prevalence from over 20 percent in 1990's to 6 percent in the last few years.

Elioda Tumwesigye, a member of the parliamentary committee on HIV/AIDS, said that the aim of the Amendment Bill was to stem the spread of the disease by meting out heavy punishment to offenders.

During the launch of Partnership for AIDS Treatment Providers (PATREP) at the State House Tumwesigye said, ‘If the amendment is passed into law by the Eighth Parliament, any person who knowingly has HIV/AIDS and has sex with a person below the age of 18 and infects that person with the disease, it will be a death sentence.’

PATREP was launced by the First Lady and Ruhaama MP Janet Museveni. It is a joint effort by crusaders against HIV/AIDS that aims at maximizing the potential of the health care system to provide treatment.

Members of the partnership include the World Health Organization, Kampala City Council, Mulago Hospital's Infectious Disease Institute, and other private health care providers.

The development of a treatment referral system in the greater Kampala area has been included in the initiative and is expected to roll out to other regions at a later stage.


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