INDIVIDUAL RESPONSIBILITY KEY IN FIGHT AGAINST AIDS

According to a report released recently by the United Nations General Assembly Special Session (UNGASS) country progress report for 2008/9, prevalence of HIV remains high in urban areas compared to the rural areas. It was placed at 7.3 percent in urban areas while in the rural areas it is 2.2 percent. Important strides have been made to scale down HIV/ AIDS in Rwanda. It has been a result of concerted efforts by government, its partners and many other stakeholders. This has also been the case in most of sub Sahara Africa as noted during the just concluded 18th International Aids conference held in Vienna. Moreover, apart from reducing new infections, there have also been serious efforts to avail treatment to most of the infected people, and it goes without saying that the government and agencies responsible for the fight against AIDS have done a commendable job in this regard. However, going by the UNGASS report, serious efforts to curb HIV among urban dwellers and other vulnerable groups are still required. To scale back HIV in urban areas, behaviour change remains key. It must be impressed upon everyone, continuously, that having multiple sexual partners is not cool, as some may want to think, but a recipe for disaster. The availability of treatment should never be an excuse for complacency in the belief that since AIDS can be managed, all is ok. Indeed, the message being put across by institutions responsible for fighting the pandemic is there for all to see. What is important above all, is individual responsibility. Personal responsibility to remain negative by practicing safe sex and behaviour change at an individual level is very important. Ends