The seven machines given to the Ministry of Health will be immediately dispatched to seven district hospitals to enable health personnel to follow-up on any changes in the immune system of those living with HIV and help them lead normal and healthy lives.
"This equipment, in the form of seven highly-specialised cell-count machines, will help Rwanda initiate and monitor treatment for those who are HIV positive," said UNICEF's Officer in Charge, Dr. Jane Muita, in a statement.
"In fact, the donation of these machines was a specific recommendation of the annual Paediatric Conference to ensure that services exist closer to the people who need them.”
In Rwanda today, three out of 100 people live with HIV – over 20,000 of who are children. The government of Rwanda has taken important steps to fight AIDS, UNICEF said. There is also a policy in place for orphans and vulnerable children.
For instance, more girls and boys are being tested today than ever before – up from less than one percent in 2000 to 12% in 2006.
Available figures also indicate over nine percent of those on treatment today are children up from less than 1% in 2004.
General HIV prevalence in Rwanda is 3% with a 2, 2% in rural areas and 7, 3% in urban, according to the latest UN estimates. Some 64 percent of those that need life-saving therapy are getting the ARVs.