In a move aimed at curtailing the use of Antiretroviral (ARV) HIV drugs in poultry feeds and products, Parliament’s HIV/Aids Committee has summoned the Health Ministry for a meeting today.
Sarah Netalisire Kayaga, the Namisindwa District Woman, made the revelation yesterday, while interacting with a team of researchers from Makerere University, led by College of Health Sciences deputy principal Prof. Isaac Kajja.
Kayaga disclosed that they have got quite a number of institutions that they are going to interact with over the matter.
Away from the health hazards this poses to consumers of poultry products, she pointed out that the phenomena might be depriving AIDS patients of vital treatment.
Official documents indicate that Uganda has 1.4 million people living with HIV, with about 72% on ART.
Speaking yesterday, Prof. Kajja and Dr Hussein Oria warned against the practice saying it risks exposing consumers to cancer and increasing microbial resistance.
A February 2022, study titled: Antiretroviral Medicine Found in Farm Chicken in Wakiso District in Uganda: Ramification for HIV/AIDS Care, found traces of Efavirenz, one of the drugs used in triple therapy.
