Panic has gripped locals and leaders in Mbarara District following revelations that the district has for the last 3 years registered 1789 new HIV infections, resulting in the district having the second highest HIV/AIDS prevalence rate in the country.
Chris Nahabwe, the Mbarara district HIV/AIDS focal person says most new infections have been registered in teenage females and older men.
Recent statistics from the Uganda AIDS Commission indicate that Mbarara district comes second only to Fort Portal City countrywide in terms of HIV/AIDS prevalence, a revelation that has shocked leaders.
According to the Mbarara district HIV focal person, Nahabwe Chris, Mbarara district has registered 440 new HIV infections this year alone, the majority of them among young females and older men.
Statistics from the Uganda AIDS Commission (UAC) indicate that Uganda has registered over 52000 new HIV infections since the year began, despite efforts by the Presidential Fast Track Initiative to end AIDS by 2030.
A recent study by the Makerere University School of Public Health found that the majority of sexually active students were unaware of the key HIV prevention methods, which explains the surge in new HIV infections.
Medics are calling for mass sensitization of at-risk, sexually active segments of the population on prevention and self-testing.