UN, European officials hail HIV/AIDS fight

Rwanda has built a "solid foundation" in its fight against HIV/AIDS and is a model for other countries, a joint UN and European mission has said. The mission - which visited Rwanda earlier this week - included Luxembourg's minister for development and humanitarian action, Jean-Louis Schiltz, and the executive director of UNAIDS, Peter Piot. "The strong political will and leadership of Rwanda have enabled great progress in the fight against HIV/AIDS," said Schiltz. The mission noted that progress had been made in the prevention of mother-to-child transmission of the virus, while sites for voluntary counselling and testing had increased. It added that Rwanda was treating half the people in need of antiretroviral therapy, one of sub-Saharan Africa's highest coverage rates.