KIGALI, Dec. 1 (Xinhua) -- Rwanda is aiming to overfulfil the UN "90-90-90" anti-AIDS targets in the next ten years and have set a more ambitious goal of "95-100-95", a senior official said Tuesday.

The "90-90-90" targets for 2020 were set in 2014. They foresee the diagnosis of 90 percent of all people living with HIV; treating 90 percent of those who know their status; and suppressing the virus in 90 percent of people in treatment.

In Rwanda, the target is that for the coming 10 years, "95 percent of our people should know their HIV status, 95 percent should suppress the virus in their bodies and for those knowing their status access to HIV treatment should reach 100 percent from 97 percent," Rwandan Minister of Health Daniel Ngamije said during an event to commemorate the World AIDS Day in the Rwandan capital city Kigali.

HIV prevalence in Rwanda stands at 3 percent with 3.6 percent of women, 2.2 percent of men contracting the virus, according to the Rwanda HIV Stigma Index Survey conducted by Rwanda Biomedical Center (RBC) from October 2019 to June 2020.

Recent results from an HIV impact assessment survey have demonstrated that the country has achieved a lot in HIV response in line with the United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) "90-90-90" target to help end AIDS by 2030, according to Ngamije, adding that 84 percent of the infected people in the central African nation are aware of their HIV status, of whom 97 percent are on HIV treatment and 90 percent of those under treatment have suppressed the virus in their bodies.

The minister said this year is more different to overcome and mitigate the HIV virus and other pandemics due to COVID-19 pandemic, which is not only a stand-alone pandemic but also has affected many efforts to control other diseases, including HIV.

He, however, said due to Rwanda's resilient health system, HIV infected people in the country continued to receive their treatment even during the lockdown imposed to stem the pandemic.

Rwanda's achievements in the fight against AIDS is attributed to different factors, including advocacy and resource mobilization, global solidarity and partnership, access to services, community engagement and accountability at all levels, he noted.

The Ministry of Health is to scale up HIV testing, free condom distribution, circumcision and other preventive measures to fight against AIDS, according to him. Enditem

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