‎‎By Haron Okwir ‎‎
Dokolo District is grappling with a significant HIV challenge, with a prevalence rate of 4.6%, prompting leaders to call for intensified preventive measures.
District Health Educator Mr. Patrick Diox Ouni recently revealed in an interview with our reporter at his office, highlighting the district’s HIV challenges and calling for community action.‎‎
Ouni noted that the 4.6% HIV prevalence represents a significant portion of the district’s population, attributing it to certain harmful community behaviors, and stressing the need for attitude changes to curb the spread.‎‎
He pinpointed Dokolo Town Council and Agwata Town Council as HIV hotspots, citing gathering points like markets and a newly created factory in Agwata as drivers of the prevalence, emphasizing the need for targeted interventions.‎‎
Ouni emphasized that Dokolo District is facing a potential shortage of injectable PrEP, with only 200 doses remaining out of the 600 received.Â
‎‎He urged residents to adopt responsible lifestyles, utilize protective measures like PrEP and condoms, and prioritize regular medical checkups to stay healthy and live longer.‎‎
Mr. Ouni advised those living with HIV to avoid risky sexual behavior to prevent spreading the virus, and to visit health facilities for treatment enrollment and support.‎‎
The district’s efforts to combat HIV/AIDS include initiatives like Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission (PMTCT) and HIV Counseling and Testing (HCT) among others.‎‎
According to the 2025 statistics from the UAC, Uganda has 1.49 million people living with HIV, with a prevalence rate of 5.1 per cent. ‎
