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AIDS Prevalence Rate in Rwanda Falls to 3 Percent

Posted on: Saturday, 26 November 2005, 09:00 CST

AIDS prevalence rate in Rwanda falls to 3 percent

KIGALI, Nov. 25 (Xinhua) -- The HIV/AIDS prevalence rate in Rwanda has fallen to three percent, said an official Friday quoting the Demographic Survey conducted by Treatment and Research Center.

While addressing a press conference, State Minister in charge of HIV/AIDS and other infectious diseases, Innocent Nyaruhirira said that the ministry was still struggling to overcome the challenges posed by HIV/AIDS and that it targets reducing the prevalence to less than one percent soon.

"We shall work harder to reduce the incidence standards of HIV/ AIDS prevalence in the country and I call upon all Rwandans to cooperate in this quest to fight the pandemic," Nyaruhirira said.

The minister urged Rwandans not to compare the infection rate in the country to that of neighboring countries.

Recent statistics indicate that Rwanda has the lowest prevalence rate compared to its neighboring countries of Uganda, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Tanzania.

According to the statistics, infection is highest among females in the country. It also indicates that people in the urban areas, mostly in Kigali City, were more susceptible to HIV infection than those in the rural areas. Kigali city has the highest infection rate compared to other provinces.

Source: Xinhua News Agency - CEIS

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