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CDC Global HIV/AIDS Activities - Rwanda

HIV/AIDS in Rwanda

Rwanda is one of the most densely populated countries in sub-Saharan Africa. Twelve years after the genocide which killed almost one million people, Rwanda faces multiple health and development challenges. An estimated 3.1% of the adult population is infected with HIV (3.6% of adult women and 2.3% of adult males). Rwanda's HIV/AIDS epidemic is primarily driven by heterosexual contact and mother-to-child transmission. Tuberculosis (TB) remains a significant problem in Rwanda; the World Health Organization estimates that 26% of adult TB cases are also infected with HIV.

CDC HIV/AIDS Activities in Rwanda

Prevention:

  • Supporting abstinence and faithfulness programs for HIV prevention targeting both most-at-risk groups as well as the general population.
  • Expanding the counseling and testing (CT) to support medical facilities to increase provider-initiated HIV testing and increase pediatric case identification.
  • Supporting programming with a family-centered approach to CT services where all members of an HIV-positive person's family are encouraged to be tested.

Care and Treatment:

  • Strengthening the scope, quality, and sustainability of prevention of mother-to-child HIV transmission (PMTCT) services in a decentralized healthy delivery system, working to ensure adequate testing and follow-up of HIV-exposed infants and treatment of HIV-positive mothers.
  • Supporting linkages between health facility and community care programs to ensure follow-up support of the family at the community level.
  • Working to ensure that all persons living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) receive services through a comprehensive network of district hospitals, health centers, and communities by supporting clinical, community, and home-based care programs.
  • Expanding TB/HIV integration activities in all supported health districts and improving systems to track co-infected patients.
  • Providing district-level support for implementing antiretroviral treatment (ART) service programs, focusing on building program quality and sustainability.
  • Conducting regular HIV sentinel surveillance and operational research in ART and TB to inform the national program.

Laboratory, Strategic Information, and Other Capacity Building:

  • Providing laboratory capacity building, focusing on key reference laboratory functions including training, quality assurance, and developing in-country expertise for HIV-related care and treatment.
  • Strengthening the national laboratory network through direct support to individual facilities and districts for HIV-related laboratory testing.
  • Supporting human capacity building and systems strengthening for HIV prevention, care and treatment programs.

 

 

Last modified: October 23, 2008
Last reviewed: October 23, 2008
Content Source:
Global AIDS Program (GAP)
National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention