By Kelly Rwamapera
Rwanda Biomedical Centre (RBC) says that the number of young people getting infected with HIV is increasingly high yet the same group of people does not seek health services including antiretroviral drugs.
The HIV/AIDS prevention department at RBC says that while 94 percent of HIV/AIDS-infected people seek antiretroviral drugs, most of the remaining 6 per cent who do not take drugs are dominated by young people.
“Young people are dominating new HIV infections yet they are also dominating the number of people who do not seek antiretroviral drugs to boost their immunity,” Dr Basile Ikuzo says.
During the marking of World AIDS Day in Huye District in Southern Province at the beginning of December 2022, Ikuzo noted that 33 percent of new HIV infections in Rwanda are among young girls aged 15-24 years.
“New infections are mostly among young people and adolescent girls are the most vulnerable while adult people compose 10 per cent of new HIV infections,” he said.
The government in partnership with non-government organisations has established youth centres around the country in every district to offer SexualHealth Education including HIV prevention.
There are also youth corners at Health Centres around the country to help young people get reproductive health education and services but the rate at which young people use the facilities is still lower, according to MoH.
According to Innocent Hanyurwimfura who heads Huye Youth Centre in Southern Province, young people want centres that are located near play fields or other activities that attract them.
“I have met several other youth centre leaders but what we know is that youth centres located at playgrounds are accessed by more young people than centres that are not,” he said.
Apophia Murungi who heads Bugesera Youth Centre in Nyamata Town Bugesera District told Intego News that they have not found much challenges in having youths use the services provided at Bugesera Youth Centre located at football and basketball fields.
“Young people find it convenient to come to the centre during their leisure activities at the playgrounds,” she told Intego News on Tuesday 13 December 2022.
HIV prevalence in Rwanda has stagnated at 3 percent for nearly two decades but the densely populated country wants to bring it to zero by 2030.
There are currently 227,000 HIV-positive people in Rwanda, according to the Ministry of Health.
