Our recent visit to Rakai was my favorite and most memorable trip so far. I love getting out of Kampala on these trips because the country is beautiful and green with rolling hills as you move away from the urban center. The air is cleaner and easier to breath, free of the constant dust and diesel fumes found in Kampala. This may sound a bit dramatic, but there is a marked difference between city and country pollution and I feel healthier outside the city. On our drive to Rakai we stopped along the equator and took the obligatory group picture on the equator line. Later in the day we toured Masaka Nursing School where students from both Uganda and other countries train. One of the program coordinators is currently studying there and the school is very impressive.
Leading up to our trip to Rakai, I was extremely excited to attend the lectures and learn about the HIV/AIDS cohort study that is being conducted. The HIV/AIDS epidemic in Uganda is exactly what I want to focus on while I'm here so I was thrilled to be focusing on that topic for 4 days. Before we left for our trip we had a lecture by Professor Serwada on much of the background to the epidemic that they are facing today. The picture was grim, but the progress that has been made and the pioneering advances in research and treatment that have come of the AIDS epidemic are inspiring. The time spent in Rakai made me realize that, while sky-high morbidity and mortality figures are extremely sobering, they also inspire you to have a positive impact and enact change.
Rakai Health Sciences Project is a perfect example of a project that started off small and uncertain, just like the AIDS epidemic, but developed into something phenomenal, adapting to the changing situation and pioneering new methods for research and treatment as more knowledge was acquired. While fancy, high-tech labs and research centers are common in the United States and throughout the developed world, Uganda is a different story. At least one third of the population lives on less that $1 per day and approximately 6% of the population is HIV positive. Thousands of people are dying each day from the disease, but the country has very few resources to do anything about it. Despite the overwhelming problems, Rakai seemed like a beacon of hope to me, something I wasn't sure I would find during my time in Uganda. They may not be able to treat more than a subset of the population, and they may not have found the cure for AIDS, but they are having a major impact on the epidemic. They have grown and expanded over the years, developing new protocols and new research questions to further expand knowledge on HIV. It was at Rakai that researchers conducted a study and discovered the positive, protective factor that circumcision has on contracting HIV. They have subsequently carried out thousands of circumcisions on study participants and other community members who want the procedure. Using the resources and knowledge that they have, RHSP is making a huge impact on the lives of HIV positive and negative patients in Uganda, as well as on the knowledge base regarding the disease worldwide.
If I could spend more time in Uganda I would definitely go back to Rakai to learn more about their projects. But, after our 4 days there I feel better knowing that positive advances are being made to fight this deadly disease. I believe it is projects like Rakai, community-based studies and treatment, that will ultimately combat the epidemic most effectively. Only when you understand HIV in the context of Uganda and adapt the prevention and treatment to the environment can you really see change. I am honored to have met and listened to lectures from Professor Serwada, Professor Wabwire, Professor Sewankambo, and Doctor Kiwanuka. This program has provided me with some great opportunities to learn from the best in the field and I hope to come back and study more in the future.
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