Baryomunsi: Test-and-Treat Approach Helping Uganda Improve HIV Treatment Outcomes

What the report says

Uganda’s Health Minister, Dr Chris Baryomunsi, says the country’s shift to a test-and-treat HIV policy, along with newer antiretroviral medicines and changes in service delivery, has helped improve treatment coverage and viral load suppression. The remarks were reported by Nile Post and were based on preliminary findings from the Uganda Population-Based HIV Impact Assessment (UPHIA) 2025, which the Ministry of Health is conducting with Makerere University School of Public Health and other partners.

Under the test-and-treat approach, people who test positive for HIV are started on treatment without waiting to meet an earlier clinical threshold. Baryomunsi said this, together with stronger collaboration with partners and the move to more optimal regimens such as dolutegravir-based medicines, has supported better outcomes nationally. He added that HIV services have also been adjusted to reach different population groups more effectively.

Despite the progress, the minister said young people aged 15 to 24 are still lagging in testing, treatment and viral load suppression. He also pointed to higher prevalence in some age groups, among women, and in parts of the Greater Kampala Metropolitan Area and Southwestern Uganda, while cautioning that the data are still preliminary. Baryomunsi said the findings should help sharpen HIV programmes and better target prevention and treatment where the burden remains high.