Ruhango: Residents advised to combine all malaria preventive measures
During the official closing of the week long campaign against malaria led by Rwanda Interfaith Council on Health (RICH) and partners, residents of Ntongwe Sector of Ruhango District, Southern Province were advised to combine all malaria preventive measures.
The campaign which started on 21st October 2019, aimed at spreading message on fighting malaria.
The message was delivered in different churches and mosques across the country.
Such messages were delivered to Muslim community on Friday 25th October, to the Seventh Day Adventist Church members on Saturday 26th, and to other churches on this Sunday 27th October 2019, according to Sheikh Musa Sindayigaya, one of the members of RICH’s Board.
Ruhango District is today on the top of malaria prevalence due to the district’s geographical conditions and some behavior of the population like having regular waterholes near their houses, revealed J. Baptiste Ngezahimana, a Monitoring and Evaluation Officer at Ruhango District Hospital.
Addressing local residents of Ntongwe Sector after the monthly community work which was attended by representatives of RICH, Rwanda Girl Guides Organization, Rwanda Biomedical Centre and religious leaders and Ruhango residents, Sheikh Musa Sindayigaya urged the population to adopt all malaria preventive measures.
He said “Don’t’ sleep in a treated mosquito net and feel like it’s satisfactory, we have to combine all efforts. If you remove the bushes and waterholes near the homes, sleep also in a mosquito net and visit the health facilities whenever you find any symptom of malaria. Another important thing is to ensure you complete the cure of malaria.”
The Vice Mayor in charge of social affairs, Alphonsine Mukangenzi, said that with current actions in fighting malaria like use of insecticide spraying and the distribution of mosquito nets will contribute to elimination of the endemic.
Malaria is caused by a parasite called Plasmodium. The parasite is transmitted to humans by the bite of infected female Anopheles species mosquitoes.
Citizens were also reminded that pregnant women and children are especially at risk.
Officials stressed that the symptoms of malaria include constant fever or the one which may come and go, profuse sweating, malaise, muscle and joint pain and headache.
The DHS 2014–2015 revealed an increase of malaria prevalence among children under five years of age (from 1.4% in 2010 to 2.2%) and stable prevalence among women aged 15–49 years (from 0.7 % in 2010 to 0.6%).
According to the RBC’s Malaria and Other Parasitic Diseases Division, an increase in malaria-related deaths was also reported from 419 in 2013 to 715 in 2016, but the overall case fatality rate was reported to decrease from 1.8% to 1.5% during this same period.
The Rwanda Extended Malaria Strategic Plan 2013–2020’s goal is to reduce malaria mortality by 30% by 2020. To achieve this goal, at least 90% of population at risk will be effectively protected with locally appropriate preventive and vector control interventions. All malaria cases will be promptly treated in line with the national guidelines; all health facilities provide complete reporting so as to strengthen surveillance, monitoring and evaluation and inform operational research among other specific objectives.
