The Ministry of Health is increasing the number of health facilities offering Lenacapavir to expand access to the HIV prevention drug, which is increasingly being described as a game changer in HIV prevention. The drug was recommended by the World Health Organization in July 2025 as an HIV prevention option after studies, including research conducted…
Makerere University has established a new laboratory dedicated to studying the behaviour of the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) outside the human body, in a move scientists believe could contribute to the global search for a cure. Prof. Moses Joloba, a molecular biologist at Makerere University’s School of Biomedical Sciences, said that while previous research has…
Commercial sex workers in Kasese District have raised concerns over a shortage of condoms and lubricants, warning that the scarcity is exposing them to a higher risk of HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted infections while also affecting their livelihoods. The women say the lack of essential reproductive health supplies has reduced the number of clients…
State Minister for Primary Health Care Charles Ayume has urged Ugandan mothers, particularly those in the corporate sector, to make greater use of antenatal, postnatal and neonatal healthcare services as the country works to reduce maternal and newborn deaths. The minister said Uganda has made notable progress in reducing maternal mortality but warned that preventable…
A new HIV prevention pill that only needs to be taken once a month is showing promising results in late-stage clinical trials, raising hopes of expanding options to prevent new HIV infections. The experimental drug, called alimatravir (MK-8527), is being developed by pharmaceutical company Merck Sharp & Dohme (MSD). Unlike the daily HIV prevention pills…
Several girls in Sop Sop Sub-county, Tororo District, are trading school uniforms for motherhood. Instead of sitting in classrooms, some are carrying babies or preparing to give birth, raising fears among local leaders that teenage pregnancy is robbing a generation of its future. The contrast within Tororo District is striking. While the district’s teenage pregnancy…
The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) and the World Health Organisation (WHO) have called for an urgent expansion of community-led efforts to contain the worsening Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), warning that the epidemic is outpacing response efforts in parts of the country. The appeal follows…
LIRA, Uganda — More than 1,000 patients pass through the outpatient department at Lira Regional Referral Hospital each day, overwhelming the facility’s infrastructure and prompting renewed calls for a new ward complex and expanded specialized services. The pressure is particularly acute in the maternity ward, where limited space has forced the hospital to extend some…
Gaps in counselling on contraceptive side effects are contributing to low uptake and discontinuation of modern family planning methods in Uganda, according to a Ministry of Health assessment of family planning services. The competency assessment found that many women stop using contraceptives after experiencing side effects without seeking medical advice, even though many reactions can…
KATAKWI, Uganda — Hundreds of households in Katakwi District are struggling to put food on the table as prolonged drought, repeated crop failures and hailstorms worsen food shortages, with some families surviving on one meal a day or relying on porridge. The food crisis is affecting vulnerable households across the district’s 20 sub-counties, where dwindling…