HIV/AIDS, diabetes, high blood pressure, tuberculosis … are now screened at APECOS Center to everyone who wishes to benefit from its service since this Friday 4th April 2014.–By Diane Uwimana
APECOS agents running their sensitization session at the APECOS center.©Iwacu
“Since its creation in 1993, APECOS only received its beneficiaries’ i.e HIV/AIDS orphans and people who were living with HIV/AIDS”, says Jean Marie Butoyi, National Coordinator of the Association in Charge of HIV/AIDS Orphans (APECOS). Today, he indicates that those who are suffering from other diseases are also welcomed. “We have received new equipment and we are now able to examine more than HIV/ AIDS diseases such as diabetes, tuberculosis and high blood pressure except PCR and the viral charge that must only be done at the National Institute of the Public health (INSP),” explains Butoyi. The National Coordinator states that the majority of the people think that the APECOS guests were only people living with HIV/AIDS or orphans. “If some people see you entering our buildings, they have in their mind that you come for acquiring anti-retroviral drugs even if you would like to pay any kind of visit”, says the Coordinator. For ten years, the beneficiaries only receive the screening test and ARV freely. “Others will pay a small amount of money before we receive funds,” adds Butoyi. It is worth indicating that the average statistic records of the screened people who come monthly are between 71 and 102.
As APECOS Center is located in Kinanira Commune, most of people who come for screening are from Ceceni, Gikoto and Gitaramuka areas, Kanyosha Commune and elsewhere quite far from Kinanira. Those who live near the Center do not prefer the place and hardly come to take the advantages offered there. “It is rare that you can find someone from Kinanira benefiting from our services”, regrets Dr Thaddée Ninganza.
“Youth, the most targeted group”
Among all the people who are present in the APECOS Center, between 10 and 13 % are youths aged between 18 and 25. “This is due to unemployment and the actors get profit from these young people to have sex with them”, underlines Dr Thaddée Ninganza from APECOS Center. He notes that motorcyclists, bicyclists and builders are the most targeted and they are accused of infecting those youths because they often share alcoholic drinks something which often drives them to have sex without protection. Furthermore, he notes that adult people who come to be screened are in their 50s. “Perhaps they are the ones who infect these young people,” highlights Dr Ninganza. Alexis Ntibanezerewe, a laboratory technician at APECOS center indicates that between 10 and 13 % of young people who are infected by HIV/AIDS, about 80% are young girls. Funded by “AMIE CANADA”, Nicole Garneau, Project Representative praises the steps already reached: “at the beginning, we received only 20 people monthly, but today, we can receive a hundred of people to be screened”.
She points out those women are very active in the PTME (Prevention of Transmission of HIV/AIDS from Mother to Child) program. “We have given us a sample of 150 pregnant women. For years, we have received a number of 115 women who are under this program. We hope that we will achieve our goal regarding the way they come to visit us. By 2015, we will deal with 35 women who are remaining”, thanks Garneau. According to Denise Bantegeyeko, coordinator of the PTME program, only two cases out of 57 births, were infected by HIV/ AIDS due to carelessness and ignorance of mothers.
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Under the AMIE CANADA Fund APECOS assists:
– 336 people living with HIV/AIDS under ARV;
-241 people living with HIV under Cotri (bactrim);
-67 women under PTME program &
-38 women left the PTME program (2012: 13), (2013: 21), (2014: 4).
IWACU Open Data
