Cartoon misrepresented Rwanda’s HIV/AIDS policy
EDITOR—This is in reaction to a cartoon published in <i>The New Vision</i> of September 24, misrepresenting our policy on HIV/AIDS. The cartoonist presented a caricature on Rwanda showing a circumcision exercise, whilst on the other side, in the Ugandan camp, people were scampering for condoms. <
EDITOR—This is in reaction to a cartoon published in The New Vision of September 24, misrepresenting our policy on HIV/AIDS. The cartoonist presented a caricature on Rwanda showing a circumcision exercise, whilst on the other side, in the Ugandan camp, people were scampering for condoms.
The cartoonist was understood to insinuate, as presented in the question about the ‘ABCs’ that Rwanda had replaced the use of condoms (C) with circumcision.
This is a careless misrepresentation of our policy on HIV/AIDS because the Ministry of health has always insisted and emphasised that circumcision cannot guarantee safety from HIV/AIDS infection.
On the contrary, in Rwanda we believe in employing all possible means to reach our objectives hence the recent introduction of the indoor residual spraying as a malaria fighting measure
in addition to the already existing ones.
ln the same way, following several researches that established evidence that male circumcision can actually reduce the risk of HIV/AIDS infection by 60%, we decided to add this weapon to our arsenal in order to gain more ground in the battle against HIV/AIDS because our ultimate goal is to eradicate the scourge. With this new tool, we now have EABCC— Education, Abstinence, Being faithful, using Condoms and Circumcision.
And, let it be understood that just like other measures against HIV/AIDS like testing and use of condoms, circumcision is entirely voluntary, not as the cartoonist suggested that this is an order.
What the Ministry of Health is doing is to make available the necessary equipment, train medical personnel and sensitise people on the significance of circumcision in the fight against HIV/AIDS.
Dr Innocent Nyaruhirira
Office of Minister of State
Kigali
The cartoonist was understood to insinuate, as presented in the question about the ‘ABCs’ that Rwanda had replaced the use of condoms (C) with circumcision.
This is a careless misrepresentation of our policy on HIV/AIDS because the Ministry of health has always insisted and emphasised that circumcision cannot guarantee safety from HIV/AIDS infection.
On the contrary, in Rwanda we believe in employing all possible means to reach our objectives hence the recent introduction of the indoor residual spraying as a malaria fighting measure
in addition to the already existing ones.
ln the same way, following several researches that established evidence that male circumcision can actually reduce the risk of HIV/AIDS infection by 60%, we decided to add this weapon to our arsenal in order to gain more ground in the battle against HIV/AIDS because our ultimate goal is to eradicate the scourge. With this new tool, we now have EABCC— Education, Abstinence, Being faithful, using Condoms and Circumcision.
And, let it be understood that just like other measures against HIV/AIDS like testing and use of condoms, circumcision is entirely voluntary, not as the cartoonist suggested that this is an order.
What the Ministry of Health is doing is to make available the necessary equipment, train medical personnel and sensitise people on the significance of circumcision in the fight against HIV/AIDS.
Dr Innocent Nyaruhirira
Office of Minister of State
Kigali