Nearly all babies born to HIV-positive mothers in Rwanda are HIV-free

By The Inspirer. 

Rwanda has recorded a remarkable milestone in the fight against HIV/AIDS, with new data showing that 99 percent of babies born to HIV-positive mothers are delivered without the virus.

The achievement was highlighted on Monday, December 1, during the national commemoration of World AIDS Day held at Kinyinya Health Centre in Gasabo District, Kigali.

World AIDS Day offers countries an opportunity to reflect on progress made in prevention, treatment, and care for people living with HIV.

This year’s global theme, “Let Communities Lead,” resonates with Rwanda’s continued efforts to improve access to services and reduce new infections.

Dr. Ikuzo Basile, the head of the HIV Division at the Rwanda Biomedical Centre (RBC), said Rwanda’s prevention of mother-to-child transmission programme has become one of the country’s strongest public health successes.

“Among pregnant women living with HIV, we find that 99 percent of their children reach the age of two without HIV infection,” he said. “This reflects the progress we have made in ensuring that mothers receive proper care, treatment, and follow-up throughout pregnancy and breastfeeding.”

He added that Rwanda joined the rest of the world in marking this year’s World AIDS Day at a time when the country continues to show steady progress in its HIV response.

Current national estimates indicate that 234,000 people are living with HIV, with around 2,500 new infections and 2,500 AIDS-related deaths recorded annually.

According to Dr. Ikuzo, Rwanda has surpassed the ambitious global 95-95-95 targets—ensuring that 95 percent of people living with HIV know their status, 95 percent of those diagnosed receive treatment, and 95 percent of those on treatment achieve viral suppression.

“We are at 96 percent of people who know their status, and of these, 98 percent are on treatment. Among those on medication, 98 percent have achieved viral suppression, greatly reducing the risk of transmission,” he noted.

The progress has also been felt at community level. Muneza Sylvie, who represents the Rwanda Network of People Living with HIV (RRP+), shared her personal journey to highlight how far the country has come.

“I learned I had HIV in 1998, at a time when there was no treatment. Stigma was heavy; many of us were bedridden and losing hope,” she recalled.

“Today, the government provides us with medication. Because we take it consistently, we are healthy. We were once in a very dark place—many of us expected to die.”

She emphasized that HIV should not be seen as the end of life.

“Knowing your HIV status is the first step,” she said. “If you test negative, you learn how to protect yourself. If you test positive, you learn how to live positively because treatment allows us to continue with our lives.”

As Rwanda pushes toward ending AIDS as a public health threat, health officials and advocates continue to call for regular testing, adherence to treatment, and community leadership to sustain the gains made over the past decades.