Rwanda to introduce household testing strategy against malaria spread

Kigali, April 22 (IANS) Rwanda will roll out a new malaria prevention strategy under which all members of a household will be tested if one person is diagnosed with the disease, a health official has said.

"This approach will help reduce malaria transmission among the population, and once transmission is lowered, it serves as a form of prevention," Epaphrodite Habanabakize, malaria prevention senior officer at the Rwanda Biomedical Centre (RBC), told national broadcaster Rwanda TV on Monday.

He said the strategy would initially be implemented in the capital, Kigali, before being expanded to other districts nationwide.

"If someone visits a health facility and is diagnosed with malaria, a health worker will visit their home to test all household members. Those who test positive but are not showing symptoms -- despite carrying the malaria parasite -- will still be given malaria medication," he explained.

"Even if you are not exhibiting symptoms, you may already be infected. Providing treatment in such cases helps prevent the onset of symptoms and further transmission," he said, noting that by treating asymptomatic cases, the strategy aims to break the chain of infection by preventing mosquitoes from biting infected individuals and spreading the parasite, Xinhua news agency reported.

Rwanda registered a significant reduction in malaria cases -- from 4.8 million to 620,000 cases between the 2016/2017 and 2023/2024 fiscal years. Malaria-related deaths also dropped substantially during the same period. However, malaria remains a public health concern, with 802,428 simple malaria cases recorded in 2024, according to RBC data.

In 2020, Rwanda introduced drone-based larvicide spraying in swampy areas to complement indoor residual spraying efforts, targeting mosquito breeding grounds.

According to the World Health Organisation, malaria is a life-threatening disease spread to humans by some types of mosquitoes. It is mostly found in tropical countries. It is preventable and curable.

The infection is caused by a parasite and does not spread from person to person.

Symptoms can be mild or life-threatening. Mild symptoms are fever, chills and headache. Severe symptoms include fatigue, confusion, seizures, and difficulty breathing.

Infants, children under 5 years, pregnant women and girls, travellers and people with HIV or AIDS are at higher risk of severe infection.

Malaria can be prevented by avoiding mosquito bites and with medicines. Treatments can stop mild cases from getting worse.

--IANS

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