The outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated that no one is safe until everyone is safe. The effects of COVID 19 on the HIV and AIDS National Response have been devastating and include loss of lives, decline in testing and treatment services, increase in Gender Based Violence and increase in HIV stigma within communities. Leadership has been central to the COVID 19 Response and His Excellency the President of Uganda, Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has shown exemplary leadership hence the reduced COVID 19 and HIV infections.
Uganda is among the eight countries globally that fully achieved 90-90-90 targets by the end of 2020. Other countries are Estwatini, Switzerland, Rwanda, Qatar, Bostwana, Solvenia and Malawi. HIV prevalence has reduced to 5.4% in 2020 down from 7.3% in 2011, AIDS-related deaths have declined over the past decade from 53,000 to 22,000 by Dec 2020 (MoH 2020 data). In spite of this progress, the HIV and AIDS epidemic remains a major public health threat in Uganda with an estimated 1.4 million people living with HIV. In 2020, over 38,000 people got newly infected with HIV. Adolescent Girls and Young Women in particular are disproportionately affected and this is threatening the attainment of the Sustainable Development
