World AIDS Day: Call for action

Communities, government institutions, private sector, development partners, civil society and faith-based organisations have been called upon to step up efforts against HIV/AIDS as the world marks World Aids Day today. Marked every year on the December 1, the World AIDS Day is the moment of the year when millions of people come together across the globe to commemorate people who lost their lives to HIV, reflect on progress made in responding to the epidemic, and recommit to ending it. In Rwanda, the day will be marked under the theme, “Get Up All Against HIV/AIDS-Still There.” It was chosen in line with the 2016 global theme of “Hand up for HIV # prevention.” As part of activities, the Rwanda Biomedical Centre will today launch a fresh campaign against HIV. The campaign, to run for the whole year, will be launched in Nyarugenge District in Kigali. It seeks to use community mobilisation against HIV through different communication channels. In addition, outreach HIV services will be conducted with a focus on HIV testing and antiretroviral treatment initiation, condoms distribution, and voluntary male circumcision. Dr Placide Mugwaneza, the Director of HIV Prevention Unit, RBC, says that the objective of the campaign is to raise HIV awareness among all citizens through comprehensive actions toward reducing new infections. She says that it is through this platform that members of the community will explore different aspects of HIV prevention. “The latter is expected to increase communities’ ownership in order to prevent new HIV infections and improve access to and utilisation of HIV services,” she says. Dr Mugwaneza explains that this year’s theme is a call to action for everyone. “The theme is about reducing new HIV infections, discrimination and AIDS related deaths to zero through equal access to HIV prevention, testing, treatment and care.” The campaign is expected to highlight everyone’s awareness on their role in prevention of new HIV infections, and promote and facilitate everyone’s access to HIV prevention, care and treatment services. The campaign is also expected to reinforce community participation in HIV interventions, promote condom use and other prevention methods in the general population, and the youth in particular, and also to work with the members and leaders of communities to address the barriers that limit access to and utilisation of HIV services, according to officials. Matthew Roth, Chargé d’Affaires a.i., U.S. Embassy Rwanda, said by working together there is ability to end AIDS in Rwanda. “ This last mile, however, is going to take even greater leadership, unwavering commitment, and our collective focus to ensure every dollar invested in the fight against HIV/AIDS has the greatest impact for the benefit of those in need,” he said in a commentary published in this paper today. The United States government’s commitment to ending the AIDS epidemic cannot be overstated, he said. “We invest with our voices, our capacity, and our dollars. The U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) is the largest commitment by any nation to combat a single disease. Through PEPFAR, the U.S. Government has invested more than $70 billion to support the HIV/AIDS response globally, including $55 billion since the start of the Obama Administration.” In Rwanda, PEPFAR has invested more than $1 billion since 2004. In partnership with the Government of Rwanda and UNAIDS, PEPFAR currently supports life-saving antiretroviral treatment (ART) for 98,001 people, including 5,040 children. Planned activities During this year’s campaign, there will be free distribution of condoms and education on their use, provision of information about male circumcision, family planning services provision, exhibition by HIV programme and partners, mass media campaign through the radio stations, television and newspapers. Statistics from RBC indicate that HIV prevalence among the general population aged 15-49 years has remained stable, at 3.0 per cent, for the last decade in Rwanda. The prevalence is higher among women than men. The prevalence by marital status is higher in divorced/separated or widowed women (11.1%) than married/cohabiting (3. 7%) or never married (1.1%). Comprehensive knowledge about prevention of mother to child transmission (PMTCT) among men is also low; only 28.2% of males interviewed were judged to have comprehensive knowledge. The 2015 Demographic Health Survey results also showed that 30 per cent of Rwandan men aged 15-59 (20%) are circumcised, an increase of 17 per centfrom 2010. Research has indicated that circumcision reduces the chances of contracting HIV. editorial@newtimes.co.rw

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World AIDS Day: Call for action