Officials in the National Commission to Fight against AIDS (CNLS) have revealed through a research study that HIV/AIDS is still a big threat to the country’s youth. The Demographic Health Survey (DHS) conducted in 2005 has shown that out of a national total prevalence rate of 3 percent, the affected youth between the ages of 19 and 24 are about one percent, females being the most affected. Addressing the press during the CNLS “Open Day” yesterday in Kigali, the Executive Secretary of CNLS Dr. Anita Asiimwe said that the same survey proved that grown-up males are engaging in unprotected sex with young females, proven by the prevalence rate which indicates that HIV is most rampant in young females and grown-up males. According to Dr. Asiimwe, the commission is working closely with the Ministry of Education to integrate HIV/AIDS issues in reproductive health courses. “During our studies, it was established that sex workers get many clients during school holidays,” she said, adding that they have also embarked on advocacy to distribute free condoms in various schools. She however mentioned that some school administrators are yet to view this as a positive step, as they are arguing that it in a way encourages sex among the youth, while abstinence should be paramount. But CNLS views that students need to learn about HIV and how to protect themselves, which will obviously involve the use of condoms. “As a child grows, his body will obviously lead him or her to sexual practice,” she explained. “That is why it is crucial to teach them about protection at a younger age, without waiting for them to grow old.” The 2005 DHS indicates that the first sexual experience is at less than 20 years, with important urban-rural differences in the selected sites. For youth aged 15-19, 57 percent males and 60 percent females in urban areas had sexual relations, as compared to 44 percent males and 47 percent females in rural areas. The same study however has shown that condom use is still very low. It indicates that condom use is at 10 percent among the youth who are sexually active, 74 percent among long-distance truck drivers and 90 percent among sex workers. CNLS continues to encourage people to go for voluntary testing, saying more efforts are now being oriented to couples living together, as the study has also proven that the risk for discordant couples to unknowingly contaminate their partners is as high as between 60 and 90 percent. It was also mentioned during the press conference that the commission, with government help, has increased the health centres that distribute ARVs from four in 2005 to 217 countrywide. The number of HIV positive people on ARVs is currently estimated at around 60,000. Ends
