A three-month campaign against HIV/AIDS is underway since December 1, 2021. The Minister of Health, Dr. Daniel Ngamije, has just launched it from Nyagatare. The population is being reached out to offer all available services against this incurable virus.
Rwanda wants to defeat HIV/AIDS by 2030 as requested by UNAIDS. To achieve this, strategies need to be adopted. A campaign is being launched to inform the population of all available services.
“We want to remind the population that HIV/AIDS is still present. People need to know that prevention is possible. In addition, there are good drugs available that can allow infected people to lead a normal life,” says Dr Daniel Ngamije.
These services can help break the chain of transmission by achieving three goals. “We want 95 per cent of HIV-infected people to be informed of their HIV status, then they will be given antiretroviral drugs and then they will have to reach zero viral load,” Ngamije said. According to him, between 6 and 12 months, the virus can be undetectable in the blood. However, it is important to follow the medical prescription and eat properly.
A 27-year-old boy born with HIV/AIDS is apparently doing well. “We were lucky to get good medication. I wouldn’t be standing here if we didn’t have antiretrovirals,” he said, addressing guests at the International HIV/AIDS Day celebration in Nyagatare. “For people who are infected, you absolutely have to take ARVs if you want to achieve your dreams,” he advises.
These ARVs are now available thanks to partners in the fight against HIV/AIDS. The main one remains the United States of America. “Since 2004, the United States has provided about US$2 billion to support the HIV/AIDS programme,” says Peter H. Vrooman, US Ambassador with residence in Kigali.
With this partnership, HIV/AIDS is no longer a death sentence. “People living with HIV/AIDS are receiving ARVs, orphans are being helped, young people are being protected and children born to infected mothers are being saved,” says Ambassador Vrooman.
For Minister Daniel Ngamije, partners in the fight against HIV/AIDS should continue their valuable work. The objective is to unite the means to defeat this pandemic together. But we need to focus on young people and women of sex. They are key people.
Gérard Rugambwa
