Soft prostitution, recklessness fuelling HIV rise in Fort Portal

A recently released report from the Uganda AIDS Commission (UAC) indicates that the HIV prevalence rate in Fort Portal City, Kabarole District, is the highest in the country at 17.8 percent, up from 14.6 percent in 2020. This is significantly above the national average of 5.1 percent.

These high numbers have been attributed to new infections, especially among adolescents and women. In six months (October 2023 to March 2024), health facilities within the city registered 529 new infections, 322 of which were women and girls.