HIV/AIDS in Rwanda

The last day of school before Christmas break, December 17th, the M3s (9.klasse) had individual oral presentations in Humanities (Samfunnsfag) about HIV/AIDS in various African countries. Ingrid had her presentation on the situation in Rwanda. Here is her presentation:

HIV/AIDS in Rwanda

Rwanda is the most crowded populated country in the whole Africa, and in July in 2010 there were 10, 74 million people living there. The population density is lying on 420 people per square miles. Rwanda is by the size as Haiti and as the same size as Maryland in the U.S. Rwanda is among the world’s least developing countries and as much as 60 % of Rwanda’s population lives in poverty. The GDP per capita is $ 1, 000 U.S.A dollars in 2009.

The risk of getting infectious diseases here in Rwanda is very high. There are more than 13 % of adults who live with HIV/AIDS and that are 150, 000 people, but only 500 people of them have the access to drugs, medications and treatment. The rate of getting HIV/AIDS is estimated by 3, 1 % among adults between the age of 15 and 49 years. In 2003 it was 8, 9 % that was living with HIV/AIDS from the age group 15 to 49.  That means that getting HIV/AIDS has gone down by 5, 8 % over the last seven years. The life expectancy in Rwanda for male is 56, 06 years and for female it is 58.91. Women from the age group of 15 to 49 are twice more likely to get the HIV than men in the same age group.

Here in Rwanda in 2010 there were 7, 800 deaths. In Mozambique there were 81. 000 deaths, Zambia 56, 000 deaths and in Kenya 150, 000. All of them were in 2010. So the deaths are very different from country to country.

In 1994 the most common methods to get HIV/AIDs by transmission was mass rape, sexual torture and psychological trauma. It is a higher risk to get HIV in the city areas than out on the countryside. The capital of Rwanda is Kigali. In Kigali you can find up to 25 % to 39, 9 % of the HIV/AIDS positive than on the countryside. In the countryside there is 1% to 4, 9 % of HIV/AID% positive people. It includes prostitution and men attending clinics for sexually transmitted infections.

The government and Center for Disease Control (CDC) is strategically working on prevention of HIV in different areas. The CDC Global AIDS Program Rwanda Office opened in 2002. Since then, the CDC has been supporting the Rwanda Minister of Health in blood safety, counseling and testing, prevention mother-to-child HIV transmission, antiretroviral (ART) treatment and health workforce capacity building.

Rwanda has achieved one of the highest national ART treatment coverage rates in the sub-Saharan Africa, reaching an estimated 76 % of those in need in 2009.

Interesting facts that I have learned:

1) That there is more HIV/AIDS in the cities than in the countryside
2) Even though two countries can be neighbors, the differences can be very big from the deaths in HIV/AIDS.

Some sources:

http://www.avert.org/africa-hiv-aids-statistics.htm
AIDS and HIV statics for sub-Saharan Africa

 https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/rw.html
Rwanda – CIA – The World Fact book

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HIV/AIDS_in_RwandaHIV/AIDS in Rwanda

 http://apps.who.int/globalatlas/predefinedReports/EFS2008/full/EFS2008_RW.pdfEpidemiological Fact Sheet on HIV and AIDS

http://www.compassion.com/about/where/rwanda.htm#CountryTop
Rwanda Facts

http://www.indexmundi.com/rwanda/hiv_aids_deaths.htmlRwanda HIV/AIDS deaths

http://www.cdc.gov/globalaids/Global-HIV-AIDS-at-CDC/countries/Rwanda/Global HIV/AIDS Rwanda HIV/AIDS Assets and Strategic Focus