Five years in the successful fight against HIV/AIDS – IWACU

The closing ceremonies of the RISE project to achieve impact and saturation and control of the epidemic in Burundi began with a guided visit to the Gitega regional hospital.

Lisa Peterson, Ambassador of the United States to Burundi, was accompanied by a delegation composed of a representative of the Minister of Public Health and the fight against AIDS, a representative of the governor of Gitega, those responsible for the RISE project and its organization of ICAP implementation. The delegation first paid a courtesy visit to the hospital director before visiting the care and treatment services for HIV patients.

RISE, Reaching Impact, Saturation, and Epidemic Control, is a multi-year global project funded by the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR). ) and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to help countries respond to health emergencies related to HIV, COVID-19 and Mpox. A global consortium led by Jhpiego, RISE is implemented in Burundi by ICAP of Columbia University to support the Government’s efforts to control the HIV epidemic through HIV prevention, care and treatment in order to achieve the UNAIDS 95-95-95 targets.

In his welcoming remarks, a representative of the governor of Gitega praised the contributions, the impact and the great added value of the RISE project financed by PEPFAR / USAID and implemented by ICAP as part of the improvement of access to prevention, treatment and viral suppression services among beneficiary populations. “As part of strengthening health systems, the RISE project supported capacity building and the transfer of skills to health facility providers.”

In addition, adds the advisor, several medical equipment donated by the RISE project contribute greatly to improving the quality of services offered to beneficiaries. “Here, we cannot under any circumstances ignore a lot of medical equipment donated to Gitega, Mutaho and Natweturashoboye hospitals.”

He reiterated the administration’s unwavering commitment to the fight to achieve a generation without HIV/AIDS. He expressed his thanks to the donor, the American Government through USAID, as well as the technical assistance of the implementing partners.

According to Bonaparte Nijirazana, ICAP country director, RISE aimed to support the government of Burundi in controlling the epidemic through the optimization and performance of highly targeted HIV services, to strengthen the link between HIV treatment and retention in treatment but also to strengthen accessibility and suppression of the viral load.

The other objective was to strengthen the health system, coordination and improvement of health services.

Over the past five years ICAP has been able to contribute through different screening approaches, namely indexing, salt testing, and other prevention methods. “ICAP has made a huge contribution to linking to treatment. Currently, 99% of people testing HIV positive are directly linked to treatment and remain on treatment. ICAP contributed to accessibility to the viral load service where currently, 96% of patients have benefited from viral load testing with viral load suppression of up to 98%”indicated the country director of ICAP in Burundi.

For him, these are results which have contributed to the improvement of the country’s indicators in the fight against AIDS and which have enabled Burundi to be awarded the title of first French-speaking country on the right track to achieve the global elimination objectives. or control of HIV infection. It was crowned second in Africa on this good path to controlling the epidemic. “This is thanks to the efforts of all partners including the efforts of RISE and PEPFAR funded by the US government.”

Healthy results

According to Aimé Ndayizeye, director of the national program to combat AIDS, sexually transmitted infections and viral hepatitis at the Ministry of Health, thanks to this project, studies carried out in 2023 showed that Burundi was the 1st French-speaking country African country and the 2nd African country to achieve sustainable control of the epidemic and the 95-95-95 UNAIDS objectives. “At that time, 93% of people living with HIV knew their HIV status, 99.5% of people knowing their HIV status were on antiretroviral treatment and at least 92% of people on antiretroviral treatment had an undetectable viral load. The project supported progress towards these targets.”

According to him, the project supported the strengthening of the health system. It is in particular the quality of the data that is collected at the level of healthcare structures that must be of high quality. “It supported health facilities in the implementation of tools, data analysis, in relation to the electronic medical record of people living with HIV which is coupled with the unique identity which makes it possible to trace and follow these people living with HIV in order to avoid duplication or double counting of these people who may migrate from one site to another.

According to Lisa Peterson, United States Ambassador to Burundi, the RISE project has considerably strengthened HIV prevention, care and treatment services to reach the most vulnerable populations in the provinces of Kayanza, Muyinga, Ngozi, Kirundo.
Ruyigi, Cankuzo, Gitega et Karusi. “The success of the RISE project is a testament to the power of partnership at all levels. Thanks to an investment of $15 million, this initiative has not only provided essential services to the most vulnerable populations but also fostered close collaboration with the government of Burundi, civil society, local communities and the beneficiaries of our program by aligning with national strategies and working closely at national and provincial level. RISE has strengthened local ownership and laid a solid foundation for future efforts.”

She said that over the past 5 years, there has been significant progress in the uptake of AIDS services. RISE supported, she said, 188 health facilities in 8 provinces to intensify HIV testing, care and treatment with emphasis on key populations including women, children and vulnerable groups.

According to Ms. Lisa Peterson, the program has also played a vital role in improving retention on antiretroviral therapy, ARVs. He continued the multi-monthly distribution of ARVs. This significantly improved the effectiveness of the treatment.

She was pleased that one of RISE’s most impressive achievements was viral load suppression. At the end of the project, 98% of people living with HIV in RISE-supported facilities had achieved viral load suppression and therefore it was not possible to transmit HIV to AIDS. This remarkable achievement is a testament to the dedication and hard work of health workers, implementing partners and community stakeholders who provided exceptional care to those in need.”

In addition to these successes in service delivery, RISE has made a contribution to the health system of Burundi. Thanks to its integration of the Sida-info health information management system, 188 supported establishments can monitor HIV-related data in real time. “This improved monitoring capacity will benefit the public health system in Burundi. This will allow the Ministry of Health and its partners to make informed decisions”added the United States ambassador to Burundi.

Continuity of actions against HIV/AIDS

Lisa Peterson said this critical work will continue through the USAID BAHO MBEHO project. “Under the leadership of ICAP, this project will expand HIV services to all provinces of Burundi so that no one is left behind. This transition will ensure continuity of HIV services for Burundians while advancing common goals to achieve control of the epidemic.”

She took the opportunity to express her deep gratitude to the government of Burundi for its support and collaboration throughout the implementation of RISE. “The USAID/PEPFAR partnership was essential to the success of this initiative”she insisted.

Cléophile Akindavyi, delegate of the Minister of Public Health and the Fight against AIDS, welcomed the results of the RISE project. She was delighted with the new project. “With the arrival of the USAID BAHO MBEHO project, we are delighted that there has been no withdrawal on the part of the beneficiaries and once again salute the American Government for its ongoing concern to support the efforts of the Burundi in its mission to improve the health and well-being of the Burundian population. »

She asked for the commitment of everyone for the success of this new project. According to her, the Government of Burundi will spare no effort to make all the necessary resources available.

She took the opportunity to call on the administrative staff at the base of the USAID BAHO MBEHO project extension zones, the health authorities, civil society organizations, religious denominations and the population in general to get involved effectively in the implementation work of this new project.