HIV&AIDS: Uganda rolls out new PrEP, PEP guidelines

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Uganda has rolled out new guidelines for pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) and post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP).

PrEP is a highly effective, daily pill or long-acting injection for HIV-negative individuals to prevent contracting HIV, reducing risk by up to 99%.

PEP tablets are emergency medications used to prevent HIV infection after potential exposure. They must be taken as soon as possible, ideally within 72 hours, and continued daily for 28 days.

Speaking to New Vision, the PrEP coordinator at the Ministry of Health, Dr Herbert Kadama, said the PrEP and PEP guidelines were revised to include lenacapavir.

Health minister Dr Jane Ruth Aceng launching Lenacapavir guidelines. (Photo by Agnes Kyotalengerire)

“Lenacapavir is a new drug of HIV prevention, and we wanted it to be part of the PrEP,” Dr Kadama said.

Lenacapavir is a long-acting injectable antiretroviral medication used to prevent HIV, therefore falling in the PREP category. The drug is given after six months.

According to Dr Peter Mudiope, the coordinator of HIV prevention at the Ministry of Health, the included lenacapavir guidelines stipulate how the drug must be given, how often it should be administered, and who receives it.

The new PrEP and PEP guidelines were launched recently as part of the activity for the national rollout of lenacapavir at Lira Regional Referral Hospital on April 17, 2026. Health minister Dr Jane Ruth Aceng unveiled the guidelines.

Who can get lenacapavir?

According to Dr Mudiope, lenacapavir is recommended for people at substantial risk of acquiring HIV who have a confirmed negative HIV test. This includes individuals who find it difficult to take daily oral PrEP, as well as commercial sex workers and their male clients.

It is also suitable for people who have been diagnosed with a sexually transmitted infection in the past six months or those who are unable to negotiate condom use with their partners.

Other key groups include adolescent girls and young women aged 15–24, pregnant and breastfeeding mothers, fishermen, long-distance truck drivers, and individuals with multiple sexual partners.

How is lenacapavir administered?

According to Dr Kadama, lenacapavir is given by injection subcutaneously. This simply means that it is given under the skin. An individual gets one injection every six months.

Side effects

Dr Kadama said lenacapavir is well-tolerated by most people. “The most common side effects are mainly mild pain or swelling at the site of injection.”

HIV burden

The 2025 national HIV estimates report reveals that 1.5 million Ugandans are living with HIV, and of those, about 930,000 are girls and women, compared to 570,000 boys and men.

The same report shows that of the 14,000 new infections among young people aged 15–24 last year, nearly 70% were adolescent girls and young women. By contrast, only 17% of new infections were among boys and uncircumcised men engaging in unsafe sexual practices.

Uganda reduced new HIV infections to 37,000 in 2024, yet 4,700 babies were still born with the virus, according to the National HIV Estimates of 2025. UNAIDS data shows that 50% (2,350) of the 4,700 babies born infected with HIV in 2024 were exposed during late pregnancy.

Annual AIDS-related deaths have also dropped significantly, from 54,000 in 2010 to 20,000 in 2024.

Approximately 1.3 million are currently on antiretroviral therapy.