FORT PORTAL — Health officials have raised serious concerns about the high rate of HIV infections in Fort Portal City, where current data shows infection levels far above the national average.
According to Boniface Epoku, a programme officer at the health ministry, the situation in Fort Portal is “worrying,” with roughly 12 out of every 100 people infected with HIV in the city — significantly higher than the national average of about four in every 100 people living with the virus.
“Out of every 100 people in Fort Portal, 12 are infected with HIV. This is worrying when you compare it with the national average, where about four out of every 100 people are infected,” Epoku said as the region prepared to mark International Condom Day.
Recent estimates also indicate that Fort Portal City’s HIV prevalence may be among the highest in the country, with some official figures suggesting rates closer to 14 percent — more than double the national level of approximately 4.9 percent.
Health officials attribute the elevated prevalence rates to several social and behavioural factors. Tourism activity, local cultural attitudes toward sexual practices, and misconceptions about condom use have all been cited as contributors to the sustained transmission of HIV in the area.
Epoku emphasised the critical role of condom use in preventing new infections, noting that nearly half of averted HIV cases could be attributed to increased condom uptake. “We have been able to attribute about 49 per cent of HIV infections averted to the use of condoms,” he said.
As part of efforts to curb the epidemic, local authorities and development partners are intensifying awareness and prevention programmes, especially targeting young people, who remain disproportionately affected.
Despite progress in reducing HIV–related deaths and expanding access to antiretroviral therapy nationally, the concentration of infections in urban centres like Fort Portal highlights persistent challenges in Uganda’s response to the epidemic.
Health officials continue to urge communities to adopt safer sexual behaviours, increase testing, and make consistent use of prevention tools to reduce new HIV infections.
