The workers of the New Bugarama Mining Company located in the Kagogo sector in Burera District appreciate the measures taken to protect them from the spread of the HIV virus.
New Bugarama Mining Company hires between nine hundred and fifty thousand workers, and their workplaces are located in the vicinity of a busy street mainly due to other road workers.
The large number of people living and working in the area also increases the risk of HIV infection and other sexually transmitted diseases.
Despite these concerns, they appreciate the help they receive in preventing new HIV infections and sexually transmitted diseases because they are given advice on how to prevent these diseases and the spread of new infections. In addition to the advice they receive, there is also a plan to put condoms in the company where every employee can take them secretly in case of need and for free.
Mwiza Angelique is a worker in this mining company, and she is one of those who are proud of the way to prevent HIV infection. He said, “There are more than a thousand workers who work for daily wages, the fact that it is characterized by prostitution is not a secret because there are also girls and businesswomen who come from other areas because it is hot here. Since we are next to the health center, they often come to train us and talk to us about how to prevent the AIDS virus.
Another employee who works in this center said: We have people from the health center who come here to check us for HIV infection and other non-infectious diseases. They advise the person who is infected to avoid further spreading the infection, and they advise him to go to the doctor and take the appropriate medicine and follow him up.”
The head of Gitare health center, Urimubenshi Francois Xavier, says that they are working closely with the mining company and the community in general in order to prevent the spread of HIV infection.
He said: “Those who dig precious stones in Bugarama mining, we work closely together. We have many services that we meet, and we talk to them whether it’s about HIV or tuberculosis, we help them get condoms as protection.”
Urimubenshi continued to say that in this area, no one can say that the AIDS virus has been eradicated at the rate of 100 percent. He said that there is no one here who can say that the new infection has been completely eradicated, but in cooperation with other agencies, we continue to encourage people to get tested and if we find that they are infected, we help them. He started medication and we gave him advice on how to behave.
The director of Gitare Health Center says that they have 179 people with HIV infection of different categories and that they are not being treated properly.
In the latest report by the Ministry of Health in Rwanda, it shows that regions like Burera, Gakenke, Nyabihu, Nyagatare, Kamonyi, Nyamasheke, Huye, Kayonza, Ngoma, and Kirehe have an HIV infection rate between 1.58% and 2.11%.
Gaston Rwaka
