By Sarah Nanteza Kyobe

When I heard that Uganda’s HIV prevalence is now 5.9%, I did not think first about the statistic. I thought about the people behind it.

I thought about young people I know, people falling in love, starting relationships, building careers, making mistakes, and trying to navigate adulthood. I thought about a generation that can sometimes look at HIV as an old problem, something our parents and grandparents had to worry about. That assumption is dangerous.

HIV is not a problem that belongs to another generation. It is still here. It is still affecting lives. And still a topic we cannot afford to avoid.

Uganda has every reason to recognise how far we have come. We have moved a long way from the devastating levels of HIV we experienced in the 1990s. Years of public-health campaigns, testing, treatment and community mobilisation have made a difference. But progress should never become complacency.

If HIV prevalence is no longer falling as quickly as we would like, perhaps the message for our generation is simple: we cannot inherit the progress of previous generations and assume it will protect us automatically. It will not.

One of the most dangerous assumptions a young person can make is that HIV is somehow far away because they are young. It isn’t.

If you are sexually active, know your status. Test. Don’t guess. Don’t rely on how healthy you feel. Don’t assume you know your partner’s status simply because you trust them.
Know. Your. Status.

For some people, testing can be frightening. Others may fear the result, fear judgment, or feel anxiety about what a partner might think. Others keep postponing it, convincing themselves they will go tomorrow. But tomorrow is not a health strategy.

Knowing your status gives you information. Information that allows you to make informed decisions about your health and relationships.

We also need to change the way we talk about sexual health in our relationships.

Asking a partner about testing, protection, or sexual health should not be interpreted as an accusation or an insult. It should be understood for what it is: responsibility.

Love should not require silence about health. And neither should trust.

We also need to talk honestly about pressure. Young people live under enormous pressure, from friends, relationships, social media, money, and the desire to belong. Sometimes, the fear of being judged pushes someone to make a decision they are not ready for. But your health is not a popularity contest.

If you are not ready for sex, you have the right to say no. If you want protection, insist on it. If a situation makes you uncomfortable or puts your health at risk, you have the right to walk away. You do not owe anyone a decision that could change your life.
And there is an extra talk we need to have: stigma.

To anyone living with HIV, let me say this plainly: your HIV status does not diminish your worth.
You are still someone’s child, sibling, friend, colleague, or partner. You still have dreams, responsibilities, and a future.

We must stop turning HIV into a reason to gossip about people, isolate them, or treat them as though they are somehow less deserving of love and dignity.

People living with HIV deserve dignity. They deserve access to treatment and care. They deserve accurate information. And they deserve to live their lives without being defined solely by a medical condition.
If we want to change the trajectory of HIV, we must confront stigma alongside the virus. Our generation does not need another lecture about HIV.

We need an honest conversation. A conversation about sex without shame. About testing without embarrassment. About protection without judgement. About living with HIV without stigma. And about taking responsibility for our own health and the health of those we love.

Because the greatest danger may not be that we have forgotten about HIV.

It may be that we have become too comfortable with the progress Uganda has made.

Our parents’ generation fought a devastating epidemic. They helped bring HIV from crisis levels to where we are today. That progress matters. But progress is not a permanent victory. Every generation has a responsibility to protect the gains it inherits.

So, this is not a call for panic. It is a call for responsibility.

To every young person: know your status. Protect yourself. Have honest conversations. Make informed choices. Look out for your friends. Never let stigma stand between someone and the help they need.
The HIV story is not over. And neither is our responsibility to change it.

The writer works with Uganda Media Centre