Kigali — As delegates from across the world trickle into Kigali for a highly-billed international conference on HIV/Aids starting tomorrow, the World Bank has said that the pandemic is slowing down in parts of Africa.

However, in a report released in Kigali on Wednesday, the bank emphasised the need for continued government vigilance and commitment to national programmes to fight HIV/Aids.

The report on the bank's Multi-Country Aids Programme (Map) indicates that HIV/Aids "shows signs of slowing in Uganda, Kenya, and Zimbabwe, and in urban Ethiopia, Rwanda, Burundi, Malawi, and Zambia."

"We need to scale up these practices so that Africa is no longer known as a continent overcome by an epidemic, but one that has overcome it," said Joy Phumaphi, Vice President of the WB's Human Development Network.

The bank described Eastern Africa's HIV/Aids epidemic as "mixed," and said many new infections originate in the sex trade and general population. David Wilson, a senior evaluation specialist with the World Bank, said part of the decline has come from government commitment to fight the disease, along with acknowledgement from the general population.

He cited Uganda and Rwanda as examples of countries where HIV/Aids infection rates have fallen in recent years because of government and community commitment.

But he pointed out that Swaziland, Lesotho, and many other countries in Southern Africa still have very high prevalence and infection rates, partly because of denial.

Wilson emphasised the importance of prevention, education, and support programmes to acknowledge the reality of HIV/Aids and fight it.

He said it was critical for governments to conduct these programmes jointly with treatment.

"We can't treat our way out of this epidemic," Wilson said. "For everyone who begins antiretroviral (ARV) treatment in South Africa, seven new people become infected with HIV. We have to remain committed or we will rebound."

Phumaphi commended Rwanda for its commitment in the fight against HIV/Aids epidemic, saying it had "set an example" for other countries.

Rwanda used Map money to increase its ARV programme, particularly those affected by the pandemic outside the Capital Kigali. The government also worked with the Clinton Foundation to develop a treatment plan with free care for those living under the poverty line.

The WB report says about 50 per cent of Rwandans who have HIV, are on ARV. A government survey last year put the number of HIV prevalence rate in the country to around three percent.

In particular, the report touts Gisenyi (now in Western Province) as one of the areas which put the Map to good use.

The city borders the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and the report says due to high unemployment, many women resort to prostitution to support themselves.

Community leaders in Gisenyi used Map money to form anti-Aids clubs and to promote income-generating activities for at-risk groups. HIV testing also increased in the area.

Phumaphi said governments cannot let their guard down, and should use countries such as Rwanda as an example of how to deal with the epidemic.

But she said at the same time, just because the epidemic may be slowing in certain countries doesn't mean those governments don't have more work to do.

"The lesson is that we must persevere and we must remain fully engaged," she said. "We can't drop the ball."

The report said that Map is mobilising communities against HIV/Aids and changing behaviour patterns, which is slowing the epidemic's prevalence.

Map was launched in 2001 to help address what the bank calls an HIV/Aids response that was "too narrowly focused on the health sector and not commensurate with the burden and impact of HIV, particularly in Southern Africa."

The project's goals were to increase access to prevention information, care, support, and treatment.

It also aimed to encourage governments to make the political commitment to deal with the HIV/Aids epidemic.

Active in 35 African countries, Map also worked to increase community participation in response to HIV/Aids.

Between 2000 and 2006, the bank allocated about $1.3 billion (about Frw650 billion) to national HIV/Aids programmes.