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World Health Organization (WHO) - Rwanda
Source: World Health Organization (WHO) - Rwanda |

Multi-month Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) treatment dispensing improves care in Rwanda

People living with HIV who had been on treatment for at least 18 months and demonstrated good adherence and achieved successful viral suppression could refill their HIV treatment every three months

Esther Uwababyeyi's journey with HIV began at a young age. "Since the age of three, I've been on HIV treatment,” she says. Born in 2002, Uwababyeyi was infected during her mother’s pregnancy, a time when access to HIV treatment for women living with HIV was just starting to improve. Now…

World Health Organization (WHO) - Rwanda
Source: World Health Organization (WHO) - Rwanda |

Securing a healthier future: Rwanda's vaccination efforts protect children from polio

Although the last polio case in Rwanda was reported three decades ago, the vaccination campaign aimed to reach all children under the age of seven regardless of their previous immunization status

When community health workers announced a mass polio vaccination campaign in Karongi, on the eastern shores of Lake Kivu last year, mother Marie Claire Umutoniwase knew this was her opportunity to protect the health of her now nine-month-old daughter Ornella. Umutoniwase had learned from community health workers the devastating effects…

World Health Organization (WHO) - Rwanda
Source: World Health Organization (WHO) - Rwanda |

Rwanda: Eliminating hepatitis

Rwanda is one of seven countries worldwide that were assessed and selected in 2018 by World Health Organization (WHO) to pilot the validation of viral hepatitis elimination as a public health threat

When Jean Paul Nduwumwe decided to have a hepatitis test while accompanying his pregnant wife on a clinic visit, he had no idea that following a positive result and three months of treatment his health and well-being would be restored, and he would feel “reborn”. A resident of Gasabo District,…

World Health Organization (WHO) - Rwanda
Source: World Health Organization (WHO) - Rwanda |

Marie Jeanne Breathes Easy as Rwanda Takes on Tuberculosis

TB has been affecting Rwanda's communities for years, with the latest incidence reported as 56 cases per 100,000 people in 2021

Marie Jeanne Mukamurenzi (40), chuckles in disbelief as she flips through an old photo album. Her eyes pause one glaring picture of herself, unable to recognise the shadow she had become when Tuberculosis (TB) had taken hold. "Look at those bones. I had become so skinny that you could pour…

World Health Organization (WHO) - Rwanda
Source: World Health Organization (WHO) - Rwanda |

Emmanuel Finds His Feet: Rwanda Steps Up Fight against Neglected Tropical Diseases

Rwanda's pursuit to end NTDs like podoconiosis is gaining momentum with the government's multi-sectoral approach

Emmanuel Nyirishema vividly recalls the day his wife told him she was leaving. "My condition was a heavy cross to bear, not just for her, but for all of us," the 26-year-old potato farmer reflects. His spouse of 5 years buckled under the weight of caring for Emmanuel and their…

World Health Organization (WHO) - Rwanda
Source: World Health Organization (WHO) - Rwanda |

Charlene's Story: The evolution of Rwanda's Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) response through positive eyes

The Ministry of Health (MoH) reports that over the last 15 years, Rwanda has been able to bring down new HIV infections by 56%

Charlene Byukusenge fondly remembers the carefree days of her childhood. "Playing outside, dancing, sharing toys with friends – those were the days," she says with a nostalgic smile. But one hospital visit changed everything, revealing a harsh reality that would change her life forever.  At age nine, Charlene learned she…