As countries around the world marked the World AIDS Day, Rwanda did the same with a call for everyone to play a role in fighting the disease.

Observed annually on December 1, the day serves as an opportunity for the world to unite to show support for people living with and affected by HIV and to remember those who lost their lives to AIDS.

ALSO READ: HIV/AIDS: Rwanda braces for reduced foreign aid

In Rwanda, the day was marked under the theme "Every Voice Matters", emphasising the essential role of communities in the HIV/AIDS response.

The theme aims at empowerment, inclusivity, advocacy, and awareness, as a way to harness the power of communities to drive forward the agenda to eliminate AIDS so as to create a world where AIDS is no longer a public health threat.

Dr Basile Ikuzo, Director of the HIV Prevention Unit at Rwanda Biomedical Centre (RBC), told the media that the message for the day is to tell people that their role is needed in the fight.

"Services are available and are free of charge. Healthcare professionals are also available. So, the message we want to give is that everyone’s part is needed so that we can eradicate HIV. We should not think that fighting HIV is for the government alone,” he noted.

The Rwanda Population-Based HIV Impact Assessment (RPHIA), a national household-based survey, conducted between October 2018 and March 2019, showed that the prevalence of HIV among adults in Rwanda was 3 per cent.

Though the country has registered a number of achievements in treatment and care, where for instance 95 per cent of all HIV positive people who know their status are on medication, it is argued that the society needs to contribute to the fight, for example by fighting stigma.

"Stigma is not as bad as it was in the past, but it is still there. More stigma cases are in schools,” said Anik Mukagombanirwa, an HIV youth ambassador in Rwamagana District.

A statement from RBC on World AIDS Day noted that there is a need to foster inclusive social and economic development by eradicating discrimination, stigma, and practices that limit access to HIV prevention and treatment services.

ALSO READ: Rwandans should fully own the fight against HIV/AIDS

"Everyone should ensure that healthcare is adequately funded and affordable, that health systems are strengthened, that access to life-saving commodities is ensured, that human rights are respected, and that the rights of the most vulnerable populations are prioritised,” it read in part.

In a speech he made on the day, Dr Sabin Nsanzimana, the Minister of Health, rooted for more innovative solutions in the next step of fighting HIV. Here, he said the country needs to apply new things like the long term ARV injections in treating HIV/AIDS.

Long-acting formulations can deliver medicines in formats such as patches and injections that can last weeks or months, saving people from daily regimens of pills.

Such measures can simplify antiretroviral treatment so that people stay on it.

Finding new ways to simplify HIV treatment is a pillar of the global strategy to end the epidemic. Much progress has already been made in making treatment easier. From 2006 to 2019, WHO-recommended treatment dropped from more than eight tablets a day to one tablet a day. Long-acting medicines are seen as the next evolutionary step in HIV treatment.