Over 40% of Ugandan mothers whose infants acquired HIV were only diagnosed while breastfeeding

More than four in ten mothers of infants who acquired HIV in Uganda were not diagnosed until they were already breastfeeding, according to a national clinical audit presented this week at the 26th International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2026) in Rio de Janeiro.

Linda Nabitaka of Uganda's Ministry of Health told the conference that the country routinely audits infants who acquire HIV vertically to identify the programmatic gaps that allow transmission to continue. Her team reviewed 754 records of infants diagnosed with HIV between July 2021 and September 2025 from 47 health facilities across the country, and analysed the 365 records that were complete. The audit drew on antenatal registers, HIV-exposed infant registers and the charts of mothers and infants, looking at the timing of maternal diagnosis, viral load, partner testing, infant prophylaxis and treatment, retention and delivery.