Prime Minister Dr Ngirente said that Rwanda is making good progress in controlling the HIV epidemic which makes it the first country to achieve this milestone.

He made the statement on Tuesday while officiating at the dissemination of the findings from the Rwanda Population-based HIV Impact Assessment (R-PHIA) at the Kigali Convention Centre.

The Premier pointed out that the survey data show that Rwanda is on track to achieve the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV and AIDS (UNAIDS) targets for the year 2020.  

“This survey also reveals that a good percentage of people living with HIV in Rwanda know their HIV status. This is a good step in controlling HIV transmission.” Said Prime Minister Dr Ngirente.

Survey results disclosed that, in Rwanda, 3 per cent of adults, or approximately 210,000 adults, 15-64 years are currently living with HIV. The annual percentage of new infections occurring each year (HIV incidence) among adults aged 15-64 is 0.08 %. 

Prime Minister reminded that there is a need to maintain the country’s efforts, improve on the approaches and become even more innovative in looking for better solutions. 

This RPHIA survey is a result of a year-long collaboration between Government institutions which are the Rwanda Biomedical Centre (RBC), National Institute of Statistics of Rwanda (NISR) and development partners that include the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), ICAP at Columbia University (ICAP) and the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR).