Rwanda Biomedical Center Deputy Director General Jeanne Umuhire is urging young people to seek reliable health information and make informed decisions that help prevent HIV and reduce its spread.
Umuhire delivered the message Monday, Dec. 1, 2025, during World AIDS Day events in Kigali.
“Fellow youth, I encourage you to keep looking for information from different sources and to choose wisely,” she said. “Religious groups, the government and parents all communicate in different ways, but at this point we are able to make our own informed choices.”
RBC data show that HIV prevalence in Rwanda is 2.7% among adults ages 15 to 49. The country has 234,593 people living with HIV.
Umuhire called on communities to use available prevention and treatment services and to help fight stigma and discrimination.
“Prevention services exist, treatment services exist,” she said. “I encourage you to continue using them and urging others to do the same. To families who support us, let’s keep working together and reject stigma.”
She credited Rwanda’s progress in combating HIV to strong cooperation across sectors and thanked those contributing behind the scenes, including community health workers and family support volunteers.
She also stressed the importance of sexual and reproductive health education in reducing HIV transmission, particularly among young people and women. 
Rwanda has surpassed the UNAIDS 95-95-95 global targets, achieving 96-98-98, according to newly released figures. The data also show that 96.9% of people living with HIV are on treatment, more than 99% of pregnant women with HIV receive medication, and mother-to-child transmission has remained below 2% since 2015.
HIV prevalence among female sex workers has declined from 51% to 35.2%.
A university student who attended the event said more people should get tested.
“It’s important for people to know their status,” he said. “If someone tests positive, they should follow treatment and medical advice, use condoms or abstain, and avoid risky behaviors such as drug use.”
The Ministry of Health said Rwanda continues to prioritize medical services, promote condom use, expand sexual and reproductive health screenings, and ensure access to antiretroviral therapy for people living with HIV.
