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…
Residents in Amuria District are calling for an independent investigation into alleged delays, payment demands and equipment failures at Amuria General Hospital, saying the problems may have contributed to preventable deaths. The residents accuse hospital staff of failing to respond promptly to patients requiring emergency and surgical care. They also allege that some patients are…
By Fred Kayongo African scientists are urging governments across the continent to take greater ownership of HIV cure research, saying Africa must move beyond serving as a testing ground for scientific breakthroughs and become a global leader in developing an HIV cure. The call was made during the 2026 HIV Research Community Symposium in Kampala,…
The Pharmaceutical Society of Uganda has launched its 2026 Annual Sickle Cell Run to raise funds to procure more than 60,000 doses of Hydroxyurea for patients in the Busoga sub-region, which has one of the country’s highest burdens of sickle cell disease. The run, scheduled for Sept. 20, will also serve as a nationwide awareness…
The State Minister for Health in charge of General Duties, Anifa Kawooya, has urged Local Government Minister Balaam Barugahara to focus his anti-corruption campaign on major scandals affecting public services and taxpayers’ money. Kawooya said while Balaam’s campaign against corruption was “awakening” the public, he should direct more attention to cases where communities are suffering,…