The report also states that among women and men, HIV prevalence declined from 8.3 per cent and 6.1 per cent in 2011 to 7.5 per cent and 4.3 per cent in 2016 respectively.

Dr Joshua Musinguzi, the Aids Control Programme manager at the Ministry of Health said HIV/Aids prevalence is higher among women than men because they are higher chances of the former engaging in sexual intercourse they have not consented to, due to lack of bargaining power and hence the exposure to unprotected sex.

“Also, the fact that in most cases a man can have more sexual partners unlike women. This means that if the man is HIV positive they would spread to more women,” Dr Musinguzi explained.

The prevalence rate declined in urban areas from 8. 7 per cent to 7.1 per cent, while in rural areas it fell from 7.0 per cent to 5.5 per cent.

These declines in HIV prevalence, the health minister Jane Ruth Aceng, said may be due to a decreasing number of new infections in recent years resulting from the impact of the intensified HIV prevention and treatment services in the country.

The 2011 Uganda AIDS Indicator Survey estimated national HIV prevalence among adults at 7.3 per cent compared to 6 per cent in 2016 UPHIA.