Rwanda has made a new milestone in the fight against HIV/AIDS despite the biggest challenges that were imposed by COVID-19.
Since September 30, 2021, the country started a campaign that is expected to take the fight against HIV/AIDS at another level, the “Undetectable equals Untransmitable (U=U)” for People Living with HIV(PLHIV).
The campaign intends to stir good adherence on antiretroviral therapy(ART) with target of viral load suppression(VLS) which is the way to decreasing the viruses in their blood up to 20 copies/ml.
A that level, a patient cannot an HIV/AIDs Negative partner if they have an unprotected sexual intercourse.
U=U means that people living with HIV who have an undetectable level of virus in their blood due to treatment are unable to transmit the virus to others.
The U=U campaign hopes to spread awareness that medications for HIV are extremely effective.
On 30th September,2021 RRP+ with different partners such as UNAIDS, Global Fund, CCM, PEPFAR and RBC launched U=U campaign among people living with HIV in City of Kigali.
They plan is to rollout the campaign nationwide in near future.
This u=u campaign is one of the strategy to achieve the 95-95-95 UNAIDS targets of ending HIV pandemic by 2030; where the 3rd 95 is about 95% of PLHIV on ART have to suppress their viral load means reducing their viruses at low level. In order to make U=U a reality for people living with HIV, WHO has endorsed this approach, leading to calls for healthcare providers to talk to their patients about the concept of U=U.
Different speakers reminded that to reduce the high prevalence of HIV around the world; WHO has put in place different initiatives, measures and recommendations through U=U campaign.
A clinical trial of U=U concept was conducted, and the result showed that it is successful when PLHIV interruptedly takes ART medication according to the doctor’s prescription and maintains the viral load suppression of <20 copies/ml for 6 months.
In U=U campaign, Rwanda expects but a success story which will be written by PLHIV and community-based health providers also known as peer educators in the RRP+ way.
It will be a basis to reduce stigma against PLHIV, undermine self-stigma, motivate early initiation of treatment and improve treatment adherence.
During the event, RRP+ rewarded one positive couple, one young adolescent and one sex worker who have achieved U=U for the past 6 months.