Uganda AIDS Commission warns city pastor against false ‘miraculous HIV cure claims’

• UAC says there is currently no scientifically validated HIV cure available for routine clinical use.

• The warning follows public testimonies linked to Apostle Grace Lubega claiming HIV healing through prayer.

• UAC says a negative HIV test after an earlier positive diagnosis requires further medical investigation and does not by itself prove a cure.

The Uganda AIDS Commission (UAC) has cautioned religious leaders against presenting prayer as a medically verified cure for HIV, following public claims that a person previously diagnosed with the virus had tested negative after being prayed for.

The warning follows testimonies linked to city preacher Apostle Grace Lubega in which people have claimed healing from HIV through prayer. 

UAC warned in a statement there is currently no scientifically validated cure for HIV available for routine clinical use and warned people living with the virus against abandoning antiretroviral therapy (ART).

One church member, (whose name has been withheld), said on a media platform associated with Apostle Lubega, that he tested positive for HIV in May 2025 after going to donate blood. 

He said he later watched testimonies of people who claimed Lubega had healed them of HIV in Botswana.

The man said the testimonies strengthened his faith and prompted him to pray for healing. He claimed that when he later returned to hospital for testing, the result was negative and the symptoms he had experienced had disappeared.

In the earlier sermon said to have been delivered in Botswana, Lubega claimed that a young man had been healed of HIV after four days of prayer.

“The anointing that a man needs to be healed from flu is the same anointing that a man needs to be healed from HIV,” Lubega said.

UAC did not name Lubega or the church in its statement. However, it said it had “noted public claims that a person previously diagnosed with HIV was healed following prayer”.

The commission, which operates under the Office of the President, said while it respects freedom of worship and recognises the role religious leaders play in providing hope, counselling and support to people living with HIV; claims involving HIV diagnosis, treatment and cure must be guided by established scientific evidence.

“At present, there is no scientifically validated cure for HIV available for routine clinical use,” UAC said.

The commission said ART effectively controls HIV by suppressing the virus, restoring and protecting the immune system and allowing people living with HIV to lead long and productive lives.

It said a person who consistently takes ART and maintains an undetectable viral load does not sexually transmit HIV, a principle known as Undetectable equals Untransmittable (U=U). However, viral suppression does not mean that a person has been cured.

UAC also cautioned against using a single negative test result as proof that a person previously diagnosed with HIV has been cured.

It said neither testimony, physical appearance, prayer experience nor a single test result can establish that someone is no longer living with HIV.

Such a conclusion, it said, must be reached by qualified health professionals using Uganda's approved HIV-testing procedures and, where necessary, further clinical and laboratory investigations.

According to UAC, a negative result after an earlier positive diagnosis requires health workers to examine the original diagnosis, the tests used, treatment history and other clinical information.

The commission urged every person diagnosed with HIV to continue taking ART as prescribed and warned against stopping treatment on the advice of religious leaders, relatives or anyone who is not responsible for their medical care.

“Interrupting ART can cause the virus to multiply, weaken the immune system, lead to illness, increase the risk of transmission and contribute to drug resistance,” UAC said.

It also called on religious leaders to exercise caution when discussing alleged HIV cures and avoid presenting healing testimonies as verified medical facts without appropriate clinical investigation.

UAC said prayer and medical treatment should not be presented as opposing choices. It encouraged people living with HIV to practise their faith and receive spiritual support while continuing treatment and professional medical care.

The commission also urged the public not to ridicule, stigmatise or expose the identities of people associated with such claims.