Uganda targets accelerated HIV self-testing among youth

The Ministry of Health STD/AIDS Control Programme, in partnership with Abbott Rapid Diagnostics, Life Care Diagnostics, ARJ Health Access Foundation and other stakeholders, have announced a major push to scale up HIV self-testing among young people as Uganda marks 2025 World AIDS Day in Bushenyi.

As part of 'Universities for HIV Prevention' pre-World AIDS Day activities, over 5,000 students from more than 20 universities and other tertiary institutions will converge at Kampala International University (KIU) Teaching Hospital in Ishaka–Bushenyi, Western Uganda, for an inter-university HIV prevention conference focused on HIV self-testing and youth-friendly prevention services.

The conference forms a key milestone in the Uganda CheckNOW Community Awareness Campaign, which is using the WHO-approved CheckNOW HIV self-test to expand access to convenient, confidential HIV testing countrywide. 

Uganda first introduced blood-based HIV self-testing (BBST) in 2020, and in March 2023, the Ministry of Health officially unveiled the CheckNOW self-test kit in Kampala, piloting it in eight universities to reach highly sexually active young adults aged 20–34. 

In May 2024, the government and partners launched a national HIV self-testing drive using CheckNOW, targeting more than five million Ugandans and aiming to roll out HIV self-testing across all 146 districts within 12 months.

Since then, implementation has started in 24 districts, providing young people, key and priority populations and hard-to-reach communities with an additional, discreet way to know their HIV status.

Recent Ministry of Health statistics have shown that, despite progress, adolescents and young adults remain the engine of new HIV infections in Uganda.

National data show that young people aged 15–24 contribute around 40% of all new infections, and that four out of five new HIV infections among young people occur in adolescent girls and young women.

Statistics indicate that young women aged 15–24 now account for roughly 80% of new infections in their age group, with estimates suggesting that about 570 Ugandan girls and young women aged 15–24 acquire HIV every week. 

"These worrying trends underline the need to bring HIV testing and prevention closer to where young people live, study and socialise," AIDS Control Program manager Dr Robert Mutumba told New Vision in a separate interview. 

"We are looking to identify an estimated 150,000 HIV positive individuals and initiate them on treatment. We have about 100 new HIV infections occurring every day; of whom about 33 are among young people," he added.

Through the Uganda CheckNOW Community Awareness Campaign, the Ministry of Health and partners are working with universities, student leaders, community-based organisations and local champions to:

• Integrate CheckNOW HIV self-testing into campus health services and outreach events;

• Provide clear information on how to use self-test kits safely and interpret results;

• Link those with reactive results to confirmatory testing, treatment and psychosocial support; and

• Offer a comprehensive package of prevention options, including condoms, PrEP, STI screening and gender-based violence services.

Since the introduction of HIV self-testing, Uganda has also made strong gains in closing the testing gap. Recent programme data show that the proportion of people living with HIV who do not know their status has fallen from about 11% in 2020 to around 6% by the end of 2023.  

HIV self-testing – combined with routine facility-based testing – is helping the country move closer to achieving and sustaining the global 95-95-95 targets.

Dr Mutumba commended partners, universities and young people for their commitment to ending AIDS as a public health threat in Uganda and calls upon every eligible young person to know their HIV status and take charge of their health.

AIDS burden in Uganda 

In Uganda, an estimated 1.4 million people are living with HIV, with a 5.1% adult prevalence rate. This translates into approximately 1.49 million people.