Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, the prevalence of FGM in Uganda had reduced and remained stagnant for more than five years at 0.3 percent, down from 1.4 percent in 2011. However, during the pandemic, records from health facilities show that the vice had increased by 56 percent.
Findings show that no health workers or other hospitals staff carry out exclusive breastfeeding. For NGOs, only 9.1 percent of the mothers employed there are able to breastfeed exclusively followed by those employed in the private sector at 22.2 percent. Only women employed in United Nations agencies were found to be able to breastfeed exclusively for six months
The condition occurs when a mother has a prolonged, obstructed labour resulting in an abnormal opening in the birth canal. The health ministry estimates that 100,000 women and girls in the country are suffering from the condition. But according to experts, the condition can be avoided by delaying the age of first pregnancy, the cessation of harmful traditional practices, and timely access to obstetric care.