Young people who are living with HIV/AIDS in northern Uganda have expressed fear that the stigmatisation of the victims will only exacerbate the infection rate in the region. 

Some of the victims who spoke to Acholi Times said that stigmatisation may force most infected individuals to withhold their HIV positive status. 

Francis Omony, a representative of the young positives in northern Uganda noted that stigmatisation and discrimination of HIV positive persons stands in the way of realizing an HIV/AIDS free generation. 

According to Omony, positive individuals will chose to stay silent over their status for fear of finger pointing, yet continue to lead reckless lifestyles, thus infecting unsuspecting partners or spouses.  

Omony urged the community to stop stigmatizing those suffering from the disease in order to avoid isolating the victims. 

Researchers and medical officers in Gulu say that many of the children living with HIV/AIDS in Gulu still continue to live in fear and in darkness for fear of being stigmatized and some have stopped taking medication. 

This denies them the opportunity to access to antiretroviral treatment that will prolongs their life despite living with the virus in their body, enabling them to live near enough life to normal as possible. 

In 2011, Health Alert Uganda estimated that over five thousand children in the Acholi sub region who are in boarding schools have abandoned ARV treatment for fear of being laughed at by their peers. 

The HIV/AIDS scourge is believe to be on a rapid increase in Uganda because there is no strategic plan in place to combat the infection rate.