The Ministry of Health has today 10th October 10, 2018 launched the Rwanda Population-based HIV Impact Assessment (RPHIA). The national household-based survey will measure the reach and impact of Rwanda’s HIV prevention, care, and treatment services across the country.

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“Data collected from RPHIA will provide critical insights on the successes and challenges Rwanda faces in confronting the HIV epidemic. RPHIA participants who will benefit from free and confidential HIV testing, counselling and treatment referrals.” says Dr. Patrick Ndimubanzi, Minister of State for Public and Primary Health.

RPHIA will start collecting household data on October 12, 2018 in the Northern Province. The survey is anticipated to last through February 2019. Over the course of five months, trained survey personnel will visit approximately 10,800 randomly selected households and collect demographic, clinical, and behavioral information from consenting participants. Staff will also perform HIV and hepatitis B and C testing. All participants will receive counselling as part of RPHIA.

Results from HIV and hepatitis B virus tests will be returned to participants on the same day, and RPHIA will provide viral load testing for those who test HIV positive. Participants who test positive for HIV and those selected for hepatitis B and C testing will be referred to health facilities of their choice for further follow up: to receive further counseling and HIV treatment and to receive the vaccine or treatment for hepatitis B, and to receive hepatitis C test results.

RPHIA aims to estimate new HIV infections (incidence), number of people living with HIV (prevalence), and viral load suppression among adults and adolescents. Data collection, laboratory services, and data management will be provided by the Rwanda Biomedical Center in collaboration with the National Institute of Statistics of Rwanda and Westat, Inc. RPHIA includes technical assistance at the national level to strengthen data collection systems, enhance laboratory infrastructure, and strengthen local human resource capacity.

RPHIA will help health authorities and policymakers better understand the impact of HIV on everyone in the population, not only people living with HIV but also their family, friends, and the community at large. “RPHIA survey personnel have been extensively trained and are ready to implement a successful survey,” says Dr. Veronicah Mugisha, Rwanda Country Director, ICAP at Columbia University.

RPHIA is led by the Ministry of Health through the Rwanda Biomedical Centre and the Ministry of Economic Planning and Finance through the National Institute of Statistics of Rwanda in coordination with ICAP at Columbia University and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and support from the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief.

The Ministry of Health has led a systematic and sustained response to the HIV epidemic, which includes education on preventing HIV infection as well as universal access to effective HIV medications. Rwanda has intensified HIV testing and treatment strategies and prioritized evidence-based interventions with the goal of achieving epidemic.

The budget in this survey is about 11 millions $ collected from different organizatison as said by David Hoos Director of RPHIA project.