{UAH} The Observer - HIV+ Christian couples cheating
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The Observer - HIV+ Christian couples cheating
Sunday, 22 June 2014 22:14
Holy on paper: Many HIV+ married couples are living an adulterous life
A Ugandan HIV and Aids survey has found that married 'devoted' Christians who are HIV-positive or living discordantly are more prone to infidelity. Nearly two out of five Christian partners have had sex outside their marriage in the last six months despite knowing their HIV status. This was one of the findings of a Survey on HIV Prevention among HIV-Discordant and HIV-Positive Concordant Couples in Uganda.
The survey, carried out by the Uganda Christian Aids Network, reveals that 37 per cent of HIV-positive Christians who have been married for at least six months, are already involved in extra marital affairs. Another 27 per cent of Christians who have been married for at least five years revealed that they were cheating, while 10 per cent of couples who have been married for over 10 years are straying.
The remaining 16 per cent cheating on their spouses have been married for six years or more. The findings were announced by Dr Christine Ondoa, the executive director of Uganda Aids Commission, at the third Urban Leaders' Aids forum at Imperial Royale hotel last Thursday.
The 'unfaithful' Christians were having these affairs with a friend to their current wife or husband, widow of a brother, old friend, former spouse or someone they had just met. Despite knowing their status, the professed practising Christian men and women are not using condoms during these sexual encounters. Neither do many reveal their status to the person they are having an affair with.
Only 22.8 per cent said they had revealed their status, meaning that more than three quarters are in danger of infecting another person with the virus that leads to Aids. Some 71 per cent also don't know the status of the person whom they are having an affair with, meaning that they could be catching a different strain of the virus, which they, in turn, can pass on to their partner.
The survey was carried out among devoted Christians who pray regularly or daily in their various churches of Catholic, Anglican, Pentecostal, Adventists and Orthodox denomination. Some 1,250 people were interviewed during the survey and of these, 78 per cent of the partners are both HIV-positive, with 10 per cent discordant men and 12 per cent discordant women.
The study also reveals that there are more polygamous marriages in Uganda. There are also more customary marriages and cohabiting couples living as husband and wife than there are legally married couples who were wed in a civil or church ceremony. Of that, only 30 per cent ever tested for HIV before they got married yet church leaders encourage couples to test for HIV and Aids before marriage.
"If we cannot be faithful, there is no way the infection will come down. If we do not stop defiling young children in high school and university, there is no way we will bring down the infections," Ondoa said.
Despite all this, HIV is more common among women and men who are widowed, divorced, or separated than among those who are married or never married. Ondoa says that while HIV poses a very big social and economic challenge to the country, the bigger challenge is to keep some 1.6 million people living with HIV alive by providing them with care and treatment.
To put one person on the first line of treatment costs at least Shs 40,000 per month. This means that in a year, Uganda needs Shs 624 billion to put everyone who needs ARVs on treatment. Uganda can hardly afford this; nearly 80 per cent of the treatment budget is covered by the US government.
Studies also show that HIV is particularly high among girls of university-going age. Ondoa says that this is because of the married men who prey on these young girls.
"Parents, if you send your children to university know there is a threefold chance for your girls to get HIV. We are doing a study and we found out that on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, the girls are not in the university or hostel. And when we call their parents they are not at home. They are in lodges and beaches with their sugar daddies. To date they fear pregnancy more than HIV Aids. If we are to reduce the prevalence, we must work as parents and leaders to see what we can do," Ondoa said.
President Museveni has challenged mayors and district leaders of urban cities to join him and champion the campaign to bring HIV in Uganda down by 40 per cent. Urban leaders must work towards accelerating universal access to HIV and Aids commodities and services.
Fact box
- 300 people get infected every day
- 63,000 die from HIV related causes every year
- 2 million people have died due to HIV between 1990 and 2013
- 1.3 million children orphaned by Aids
- 600,000 patients are on ARVs
- 1.3 million need ARVs
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