Uganda Population-Based HIV Impact Assessment (UPHIA), a nationwide survey that was conducted to provide estimates of HIV incidence, prevalence, viral load suppression, and other important HIV/AIDS indicators has indicated that the prevalence of HIV among adults of reproductive age (15-49) has decreased.
The results indicated that there was a slight drop from 6.0% in 2016-17 (7.5% among women and 4.3 among men) to 5.5% (7.1% among women and 3.8% among men) in 2020
The survey according to the Ministry of Health was started between February 2020 before it could get paused in March 2020, due to the outbreak of the deadly COVID-19 pandemic, and resumed in October 2020, and completed in February 2021.
“Information collected included the uptake of HIV prevention, care, and treatment services and offered home-based HIV counseling and testing, with referral to ART clinics for those who tested HIV positive,” Said Jane Ruth Acheng, the Minister of Health at the release of preliminary findings.
The minister further established that HIV testing was conducted in each household using a serological rapid diagnostic testing algorithm based on Uganda’s national HIV testing guidelines and that Out of 11,130 eligible households, 96% participated.
In the entire 2020 survey sample of adults aged 15 years and older, HIV prevalence was 5.8% corresponding to approximately 1.3 million adults living with HIV in Uganda. The prevalence in adults 15 years and above was higher in urban areas (7.1%) than in rural areas (5.2%). However, the survey unlike that of 2016-17 did not include children under 15 years of age.
Data were collected in all regions of the country from a sample of households that are representative of the Ugandan population.
The Minister further indicated that among both men and women, HIV prevalence was lowest in the 15 to 19 year age group with among men being highest in the 45 to 49 year age group at 11.1% and that among women, HIV prevalence was highest in the 50 to 54 year age group at 13.6%. The survey further reported continued higher HIV prevalence in young women than in young men.
“The HIV prevalence among young people aged 15 to 24 years was 1.8%. In this age group, the prevalence was three times higher among women at 2.9% compared to men at 0.8%,” she noted
Meanwhile, among young adults, the survey found that HIV prevalence estimates were higher among the 20 to 24 year age group than in the 15 to 19 year age group. HIV prevalence was 0.2% in men aged 15 to 19 years and 1.6% in men aged 20 to 24 years. Similarly, HIV prevalence was 1.7% in women aged 15 to 19 years and 4.2% in women aged 20 to 24 years.
“New findings from UPHIA 2020-2021 reveal remarkable progress made towards controlling the country’s HIV epidemic and show the degree to which global HIV efforts are helping to curb the HIV epidemic and save lives.
In addition to highlighting key successes, the findings from UPHIA 2020-2021 will continue to help provide public health professionals, policymakers, and Ministry of Health officials with invaluable insights into where additional efforts are needed,” U.S Ambassador, Natalie E. Brown remarked.
The finds portray that Uganda is well-positioned to achieve the UNAIDS goal to end the HIV epidemic by 2030 because over three-quarters of people living with
HIV had suppressed viral load, meaning that treatment programs are successfully reaching the majority of the population living with HIV.
