Western-Rwanda: How Community Health Workers helped to eradicate Malaria in Rubavu

By Elias Hakizimana.

Recent figures affirm that Malaria incidence has declined, from 5 million cases in 2016 to over 600,000 cases in the fiscal year 2022/23. Many factors and interventions including the role of Community Health workers have been vital to fast track the goal.

Some CHWs during the Interview with The Inspirer last week said that the past mindset of the citizens could pose themselves at risk of getting contaminated, whereby some could interpret the symptoms of Malaria as poisons.

“Some patients used to face the gravity of Malaria but instead of coming to CHWs or at the nearest health facility, preferred to go to church to pray or to traditional healers saying they were poisoned, we have changed such mindset and we teach them, treat them and help them to prevent malaria in their households,” said Godeliève Mukamanzi, a Community Health Worker from Rurembo village, Byahi cell, Rubavu sector.

Besides teaching and changing the mindset of the citizens, CHWs also test malaria and provide proper medications to the patients.

Albert Dusabimana, another CHW from Rubavu sector said: “We work jointly with local authorities to change such mindset; we tell the citizens to fill the holes for stagnant water and cut the bushes surrounding their homes to eliminate the hides of mosquitoes. We reach out people especially pregnant women and children under five years, whoever we find malaria positive, we give them proper medications or refer them to the nearest health facility in case they have severe malaria,”

Epaphrodite Habanabakize, Malaria Prevention Senior Officer at Rwanda Biomedical Center (RBC) reiterated the role of CHWs in achieving the new policy to prevent and treat malaria, which says that a big number of malaria patients should be treated by CHWs.

“Last year, 59 percent of patients countrywide were treated by Community Health Workers,  when patients are on medications, the mosquitoes cannot spread the illness to others when they have bitten them, we have seen a critical role of CHWs to combat Malaria and there is a hope to eradicate it by 2030,” Habanabakize noted.

Mortality cases declined from 633 to 51 from 2016 to 2022-2023 according to figures from Rwanda Biomedical center while severe malaria cases reduced from 17,941 cases in 2016 to 1,316 cases in 2022-2023.

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