Rwanda
- Population: 10.3 million
- People living with HIV: 170,000
- People receiving ART: 76,700
- Treatment sites: 6
- Patients in care: 9,795
- Patients receiving ART: 4,520
The Epidemic
2.9% of people in Rwanda are HIV positive. In 2006, Rwanda adopted guidelines making tuberculosis testing for HIV positive patients and HIV testing for tuberculosis patients standard. Thanks to this change and the recent expansion of access to antiretroviral therapy, the number of AIDS-related deaths has fallen over the past six years.
AHF in Rwanda
In January 2006, AHF partnered with the Global Fund, the National AIDS Control Commission and the Shyria, Kibagabaga and Kanombe Health Districts to roll out ART programs at two government sites. Today AHF works with two district governments at six health centers.
Our health centers provide HIV testing, antiretroviral therapy and prevention services integrated into general healthcare settings, in keeping with the national strategy to control HIV with integrated rather than standalone care. Our program for preventing mother-to-child HIV transmission is particularly strong, including education, one-on-one counseling and preventative ART for mothers and exposed infants. By including these services in primary care settings, we strengthen the quality of that care for all clients, regardless of HIV status.
AHF supports our health center partners through mentoring, assisting with staffing issues, improving the facilities themselves, providing medical equipment and managing operations. We assure quality of care through regular site visits and assessments.
In addition to providing health center services, we’ve performed HIV testing around Rwanda as part of our mass testing initiative. Together with our partners, we tested 153,018 people in 2008, and referred the 328 who were positive to treatment.
Statistics from UNAIDS.org, 2011, unless otherwise stated.
