Places with highest new HIV infections
Uganda's health authorities report that HIV infection rates are highest in the Buganda, Ankole, Tooro, and Busoga sub-regions, with Wakiso district being the most affected. Officials attribute the spread to unemployment, alcohol consumption, and a lack of access to prevention supplies.
Why it matters
The report identifies critical public health gaps and socioeconomic drivers of the HIV epidemic in Uganda, signaling a need for targeted policy interventions.
A laboratory scientist handles blood samples at Lira Regional Referral Hospital on March 14, 2025. PHOTO | TONY ABET
Figures from the Uganda Aids Commission (UAC) indicate that the majority of the country’s 37,000 annual new HIV infections occur in Buganda, Ankole, Tooro and Busoga sub-regions, with each reporting more than 2,000 new cases.
On a localised level, the Commission reveals that Wakiso is the hardest-hit district, registering nearly 4,000 new infections every year. This figure is 13 times the total number of cases reported in Karamoja, the least affected sub-region, which recorded 290 cases annually.
Ms Juliet Nassuna, the HIV focal person for Wakiso, attributes the alarming infection rates to complacency in following the prescribed prevention measures amid the shortages of (free) condoms and HIV testing kits.
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