RUMONGE, December 6th (ABP) – On Wednesday 4 December 2024, Burundi joined other countries around the world in celebrating World AIDS Day.
The ceremonies to mark the day, which is celebrated every year on 1 December, took place in Rumonge province and were attended by the First Lady of Burundi, Mrs. Angeline Ndayishimiye, as well as other senior officials from the country.
In his welcoming speech, Abdoul Ntiranyibagira, Chief of Staff to the Governor of Rumonge province, announced that 62 cases out of the 3,265 people who went for screening in Rumonge province had tested positive between January and October 2024.
According to him, that represents progress in the fight against AIDS, adding that that progress is due to the synergy of the administrative staff in raising public awareness of the need to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS.
The representative of people living with HIV/AIDS in Burundi, Hamza Venant Burikukiye, acknowledged in his speech the support of the Burundian government and its partners in improving their health. He called for a revision of the law governing people living with HIV/AIDS, in order to take all necessary measures to prevent the spread of the disease.
The representative of the United Nations Resident Coordinator at those ceremonies congratulated Burundi on its remarkable successes in testing, treatment and care. She said that Burundi was among the first countries in the region to have reached the 3×90 target by 2021, and was ready to reach the 3×95 target by 2025.
In her speech, the Minister for Public Health and the Fight against AIDS, Dr Lydwine Baradahana, thanked the First Lady for having graced the ceremonies marking World AIDS Day with her presence, and for her efforts in the fight against AIDS, especially in providing guidance and advice on HIV/AIDS prevention for women and young people. According to Mrs. Baradahana, all the country’s health facilities are currently equipped with screening equipment as part of the drive to eradicate that scourge by 2030. HIV-positive women are also monitored within health facilities, in order to protect newborn babies against HIV, said Dr. Baradahana, stressing that that has significantly reduced the death rate, as those women are put directly on antiretroviral drugs.
As Dr. Baradahana pointed out, 75,000 people in Burundi are carriers of HIV/AIDS, 41% of whom are children under the age of 15.
The First Lady, Mrs. Angeline Ndayishimiye, in her address to the guests and members of the public present at the ceremonies, advised the population, especially young people, to go for screening in order to find out about their state of health.
Mrs. Ndayishimiye urged the administrative authorities, and especially those involved in education, to prepare an HIV screening campaign so that young schoolchildren could be tested. In her view, that would contribute to the country’s development and a better future.
Finally, she thanked all those involved, both local and international, for their support in the fight against HIV/AIDS.
She did not fail to discourage the contemptuous attitude shown towards people living with HIV/AIDS in certain departments. ABP/Denis NTIHINDAGIZWA