Priorities for Local AIDS Control Efforts (PLACE) methodology identifies and maps venues and events attended by persons who have high rates of new sexual partnerships, characterises the venues in terms of current prevention activities and conducts interviews and HIV tests on a representative sample of the patrons/clients and workers of these venues, to identify the most important gaps in HIV prevention among populations most likely to acquire and transmit HIV infection.

The methodology provides a systematic way to generate information to tailor HIV prevention interventions to local drivers of HIV transmission. It also provides indicators about hot spots and at risk populations that are critical to designing effective prevention programs at district level.

PLACE targets new sexual partnerships because new partnerships are responsible for the spread of the HIV epidemic. The methodology’s main objectives are to reduce HIV transmission by:

• Improving prevention programmes for key populations by building capacity to identify gaps in prevention services for key populations and
• Developing evidence-based district level strategies to address gaps

In Uganda, PLACE is being implemented in thirty (30) districts that were categorized into high risk, moderate risk and low risk.

These are

1) High Risk (Mbarara, Masaka, Bushenyi, Mbale, Hoima, Kasese, Mpigi, Nebbi, Kabale, Nakasongola, Jinja, Lira and Tororo
2) Moderate Risk (Arua, Iganga, Kalangala, Kanungu, Kisoro, Mityana, Kapchorwa, Moroto, Kitgum, Kamwenge and Pader)
3) Low Risk (Kalungu, Kibale, Dokolo, Kayunga and Sironko).