Uganda must rethink HIV testing to reach those who don’t know their status-Experts

What the report says

Public health experts in Uganda are urging a broader approach to HIV testing after preliminary results from the 2025 Uganda Population-based HIV Impact Assessment suggested that many people living with HIV still do not know their status. The appeal was reported by The Independent Uganda from Kampala, where specialists said facility-based testing alone may no longer be enough as the population grows and undiagnosed infections remain clustered in specific communities and risk groups.

The survey, conducted from July to September 2025 by the Uganda Bureau of Statistics, the Ministry of Health, Makerere University School of Public Health and the Uganda Virus Research Institute, covered most of the selected households nationwide. Health officials said the findings point to progress in treatment and viral suppression, but also to a remaining testing gap. Ministry leaders said people who are unaware of their status and therefore not on treatment remain the biggest unresolved challenge in the response.

The report said estimates of the number of undiagnosed people vary, with officials citing at least 150,000 and one researcher suggesting the figure could be closer to 225,000. The findings also showed sharp regional differences, with higher prevalence in the southwest and central regions and lower rates in Karamoja and West Nile. Women were reported to have a higher prevalence than men, and the national estimate for adults living with HIV was put at about 1.496 million.

Officials said Uganda could move closer to its 2030 testing target by using targeted outreach, hotspot-based strategies and options such as HIV self-testing. The broader significance is that Uganda appears to be making strong gains once people enter care, while the main challenge is finding those who have not yet been tested and linked to treatment.