Breastfeeding accounts for 73 per cent of mother-to-child HIV infections
In Uganda, breastfeeding accounted for 73% of estimated new mother-to-child HIV infections in 2025, up from 61% the previous year, according to a Ministry of Health assessment. This rise is primarily linked to mothers discontinuing HIV treatment or acquiring the virus post-birth, despite an overall reduction in vertical HIV infections.
Why it matters
This data reveals a critical challenge in Uganda's efforts to eliminate mother-to-child HIV transmission, highlighting the need for improved adherence to treatment and post-natal care. It points to a shifting pattern of transmission that requires targeted public health interventions to protect infants.
Breastfeeding accounted for nearly three-quarters of estimated new HIV infections among children through mother-to-child transmission in Uganda in 2025, with health officials warning that gaps in mothers’ adherence to treatment are undermining efforts to eliminate the virus.
About 73 per cent of estimated mother-to-child HIV infections occurred during breastfeeding in 2025, up from 61 per cent the previous year, according to a Ministry of Health assessment of the elimination of mother-to-child transmission (eMTCT) programme.
The findings were presented September 11 by Dr Daniel Idipo, a Ministry of Health programme officer for prevention of mother-to-child transmission and monitoring and evaluation, during the Busoga Annual Joint Health Sector Review Mission in Jinja.
Dr Idipo said infections during breastfeeding were mainly associated with mothers who had discontinued HIV treatment and women who acquired the virus after giving birth.
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