Disabled Ugandans given health information
06/01/2010
Ugandan people living with disabilities in the sub-county of Katine have been issued with health advice, it has been reported.
Suleiman Kafero, the National Union of Disabled Persons in Uganda's programme assistant on disability and HIV and AIDS, told the Guardian that this is because much of the information that is currently distributed does not cater for people who are handicapped.
He stated that this is despite the fact that such individuals are particularly vulnerable to infection and sexual exploitation, especially women.
The body told the publication that while there are no concrete figures about HIV and AIDS prevalence rates among individuals with disabilities in Uganda, anecdotal evidence suggests that they are at real risk.
For example, they are often marginalised due to their disabilities, which can make it hard to access educational and medical resources.
According to the World Health Organization, life expectancy at birth in the country is 49 for males and 51 for females.
Written by Clare Devlin
