By Mike Rwothomio

Zombo District Health Department has commended 8,916 people living with HIV (PLHIV) currently enrolled in care for achieving an antiretroviral therapy (ART) adherence rate of 89.4%, as the district marked World AIDS Day 2025 under the UNAIDS global theme “Overcoming Disruption, Transforming the AIDS Response”.

The colourful commemoration began with a grand march

District Health Officer Mark Bonny Bramali, addressing hundreds gathered at Ajei Primary School playground, disclosed the latest indicators saying Total PLHIV in care: 8,916  

ART adherence rate: 89.4%  

Viral load suppression (VLS): 87.6%  

12-month retention on ART: 85.3%

“We are close to the 95-95-95 targets, but we must push harder, especially on viral suppression and retention,” Bramali said, noting higher HIV prevalence among adolescents and young people.

In the past year, 46,281 individuals were tested for HIV in Zombo, yielding a positivity rate of 1.4% , approximately two new diagnoses per 100 tests, which the DHO described as “still unacceptably high”.

Zombo’s adult HIV prevalence stands at 4%, higher than Pakwach (3%) and Nebbi (3%), and significantly above the West Nile regional average of 2.3%.

Nationally, the Uganda AIDS Commission reports an incidence of five new infections every hour (37,000 annually), with 54 HIV-related deaths daily. Mother-to-child transmission remains a concern, with approximately 4,700 infants acquiring HIV yearly and an MTCT rate of 466 per 100,000 live births.

Collins Canudwoga, Chairperson of Zombo District PLHIV Network Forum, identified persistent stigma, discrimination, and suboptimal ART adherence among men as major barriers to epidemic control.

Several PLHIV gave moving testimonies of achieving undetectable viral loads through lifelong treatment, urging community members to seek early diagnosis and consistent care.

Assistant Resident District Commissioner Bruno Mananu called for routine HIV testing “a cornerstone of public health security”.

Meanwhile chief guest Ora County MP Hon. Lawrence Biyika Songa cautioned youth against high-risk behaviours including multiple sexual partnerships, alcohol abuse, and late-night lifestyles.

The colourful commemoration began with a grand march led by St. Aloysius College Nyapea Brass Band, with PLHIV, health workers, and leaders parading through Ajei Trading Centre.

As the world marked the 37th World AIDS Day, UNAIDS stressed the urgent need to overcome 2025 funding disruptions that have stalled progress in many low- and middle-income countries, while calling for increased domestic financing, human rights-based responses, and accelerated rollout of innovative prevention tools such as long-acting PrEP.

Globally, 77% of the 39 million people living with HIV are accessing ART, with 94% of those on treatment achieving viral suppression underscoring that sustained political and financial commitment remains critical to ending AIDS as a public health threat by 2030.

District Health Officer Mark Bonny Bramali, addressing hundreds gathered at Ajei Primary School playground.

Mike Rwothomio is news editor at zoomer Africa your number one grassroot information hub.