For years, Uganda was the poster child for prevention in Africa. They recognised their epidemic early on, and led by their president Yoweri Museveni, commenced a frank national conversation about sexual practice and the need to use condoms. A striking feature of Uganda's successful response was the contribution of The AIDS Support Organisation (TASO) founded by Noerine Kaleeba after her husband died of AIDS, providing care and support, including positive people in prevention, and challenging HIV stigma.
In 1986, the Ugandan National Ministry of Health launched its first AIDS campaign -- a full three years before Australia or the United Kingdom -- with the message "Zero Grazing", calling on men to reduce casual sexual encounters outside main relationships (with wives and mistresses). Targeting concurrency, one of the main drivers of epidemic spread, it was a sexual network intervention avant la lettre, culturally relevant and remarkably candid.
More recently, Uganda signed an agreement with South Africa to commence technology exchange, so it can continue developing generic anti-retroviral medication once South Africa's development status attracts tougher obligations for patent protection under TRIPS.
However, in the developed world, Uganda is better known for a different message. The ABC acronym stands for Abstain, Be Faithful, Use Condoms, and it's beloved of the Christian Right in the United States. They held up Uganda's success in containing its epidemic as proof that abstinence works, and flooded the country with missionaries for "faith based" prevention.
Now, Uganda has announced plans to put HIV-positive gays to death. That's just the logical consequence of American fundamentalist Christians getting involved in the public culture of a developing nation. It would seem the acronym has been updated:
Abstain, Be Faithful, Use Condoms, Death to Gays.