Rubavu: The youth urged to be aware and fight new HIV/AIDS infections

 

The youth in the Rubavu District  have been asked by the health authorities to be aware of the new virus that causes AIDS, which continues to be more prevalent in the youth than the adults as the future of Rwanda.

 

As one of the focus in Rubavu district on December 10, 2023 in a campaign carried out by the Ministry of Health, the Rwanda Biomedical Center together with the partner in the fight against AIDS, AHF Rwanda.

 

 

It is a campaign launched by Car Free Day Sports that engages a large number of people, mostly young people.

 

Dr. Bazil Ikuzo, head of the fight against AIDS department in RBC, said that the campaign in Rubavu, nothing special happened that made them join the campaign against AIDS.

 

He said that they have a six-month campaign plan that started on 30/11/2023 where they would focus on the youth who are most vulnerable to the HIV/AIDS virus.

 

He says that new infections are among young people at a rate of 35% between the ages of 10-25.

 

Some of the measures to combat the spread of infection include raising awareness of the availability of free health care services across the country.

 

Dr. Bazil says that some of the reasons why the youth are in danger include the fact that the youth have insufficient knowledge,youth groups leads to unprotected sex, poverty and more.

 

 "we are promoting the campaign among the youth we meet in schools, on playgrounds, on social networks such as Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and more others

where they meet, we teach them, and we try to reach them in a way that would make it easier for them to avoid it."

 

According to RBC management, the annual rate of HIV transmission is decreasing due to preventive measures and in

2030 there will be no new AIDS patients.

 

The director general of AHF Rwanda Rangira Lambert says that in order to prevent the increase of new infections of the AIDS virus, they are determined to participate in increasing the number of condoms, condoms location centers and protection services.

 

 "we have a lot of people who are given condoms for free, first we choose a place where many people meet so that they can have sex easily and condoms are free 24/7. 

 

"We have a plan to increase the healthcare facilities of AIDS services in health centers throughout the country, which will help us fight the infection forever."

 

Mulindwa Prosper the new elected mayor of Rubavu District after the car Free day Sport praised the partners in the fight against HIV and asked everyone to bring their strength in the fight against it.

 

 

UWASE Esther is one of the young people in Rubavu  who admits that she does have sex but uses a condom to avoid HIV infection and asks her friends to remember it.

 

She says: "it is true that among young children HIV infection is prevalent mainly because of temptations, poverty  which facilitated Old People to Force them to unprotected sex."

 

UWASE added that among those young people, the ones who have the most problems are the girls who would get infection easily, she asked them to  say no to unprotected sex and uses condoms because their health is getting worse."

Rubavu People during Car Free day Sport

AHF had health facilities in Rubavu Campaign

In the Rubavu district, there are more than five hundred thousand (500,000) citizens, most of them are young people, including those from different parts of the country who came to seek life.

 

It is a city where there is a lot of traffic because of Laisure, Tourism, businesses and the neighbors from the DRC and it is considered a party city, which makes many young people go to prostitution which is one of the reasons why preventive measures are increasing.