Rwanda Named Among Top Four Countries with Clear Path that Ends AIDS

Kigali, Rwanda Press, July 16, 2023 – Rwanda has been named by a new report released by UNAIDS as one of the four countries that have financed and managed the HIV/AIDS pandemic. Winnie Byanyima, Executive Director of UNAIDS said while reading out the findings on Friday that the report showed a clear path that ends AIDS if countries have the political will to do so. The report named Rwanda, along with Botswana, Eswatini, and Tanzania, have successfully met the “95-95-95” targets set by UNAIDS in the campaign against this disease. This means these countries have 95% of the people who are living with HIV know their HIV status; 95% of the people living with HIV are taking antiretroviral treatment (ART); and 95% of people who are on ART are seeing viral suppression. The new report also shows sixteen more countries, eight of them in sub-Saharan Africa, the region that accounts for 65% of all people living with HIV are also close to achieving this goal. “The end of AIDS is an opportunity for a uniquely powerful legacy for today’s leaders,” noted Byanyima, saying they could be remembered by future generations as those who put a stop to the world’s deadliest pandemic. In Rwanda, which offers free antiretroviral therapy to all, has been widely praised for its progress in controlling HIV. Over the years, the country has kept HIV prevalence at 3% and the number of new infections has dropped. The report points out that HIV responses can succeed easily when there is political leadership that follows data and scientific evidence, tackling inequalities holding back progress and countries ensure sufficient and sustainable funding. Funding is especially important, UNAIDS said; progress has been strongest in the countries and regions that have invested in ending HIV and AIDS. Eastern and southern Africa, for instance, have reduced new HIV infections by 57% since 2010. “The main lesson of this report is that we have the tools to end HIV, here in the U.S. and around the world, but need to commit the financial resources to make this a reality,” said Rajesh T. Gandhi, a professor of medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital. However, the report also highlighted the challenges ahead. It noted that someone died from AIDS every minute in 2022. Also, around 9.2 million people, including 660,000 children living with HIV, are still not taking ART. Yet women and girls are still disproportionately affected, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. Globally, 4,000 young women and girls became infected with HIV every week in 2022. Only 42% of districts with HIV incidence over 0.3% in sub-Saharan Africa are covered with dedicated HIV prevention programs for adolescent girls and young women.