Uganda: Mother-to-Child HIV Transmission Falls, but Uganda Still Misses 5 Percent Target

29 September 2026
Nile Post (Kampala)
By Rhonet Atwiine

Uganda has made significant progress in reducing HIV transmission from mothers to their babies, but health officials say thousands of new infections are still being recorded, with breastfeeding accounting for the majority of cases.

Robert Mutumba, the Programme Manager of the AIDS Control Programme at the Ministry of Health, said mother-to-child transmission of HIV has declined significantly over the years but remains a major public health concern.

Mutumba said more than 107,000 new HIV infections among children have been averted over the years, while mother-to-child transmission has declined by 32 percent since 2010.

"We've seen the mother-to-child transmission of HIV cases reduce from 25,000 in 2010 to about 4,700 by the end of last year," Mutumba said.

Keep up with the latest headlines on WhatsApp | LinkedIn

Despite the progress, Mutumba said mother-to-child transmission still accounts for about 14 percent of all new HIV infections in Uganda.

He said the country currently has a six percent mother-to-child HIV transmission rate, which remains above the target of reducing it to below five percent.

"We had earlier targeted to have this reduced to less than five percent by 2025, but we still remain focused on working together to ensure that we can have this reduced to less than five percent by 2030," he added.

According to Mutumba, the biggest challenge now occurs after delivery, with breastfeeding accounting for the majority of mother-to-child HIV transmissions.

"We see that 61 percent of all cases of mother-to-child transmission of HIV occur during breastfeeding," he said.

He said there are also significant regional differences in the number of babies acquiring HIV from their mothers, with some regions continuing to record higher numbers of infections.

The Ministry of Health is implementing an initiative aimed at accelerating the elimination of mother-to-child transmission of HIV, syphilis and hepatitis B.

The programme brings together the Ministry of Health, UNAIDS and other partners, with interventions targeting regions with a high burden of vertical transmission.

Mutumba said the initiative is aligned with the Ministry of Health's approach of integrating services and placing communities at the centre of disease prevention.

Health officials say eliminating mother-to-child transmission will require continued testing, treatment and follow-up of pregnant and breastfeeding mothers, particularly in areas where new infections remain high.

Read the original article on Nile Post.

Tagged:
Copyright © 2026 Nile Post. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections — or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here.

AllAfrica publishes around 600 reports a day from more than 90 news organizations and over 500 other institutions and individuals, representing a diversity of positions on every topic. We publish news and views ranging from vigorous opponents of governments to government publications and spokespersons. Publishers named above each report are responsible for their own content, which AllAfrica does not have the legal right to edit or correct.

Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica. To address comments or complaints, please Contact us.