Over 1.2 Million Homes in Rwanda Sprayed with Malaria Insecticide

By The Inspirer writer.

The Government of Rwanda has announced that in the fiscal year 2023/2024, the malaria prevention program involving the spraying of insecticide in homes reached over 1.2 million households in nine districts heavily affected by this disease.

Data from the Ministry of Health shows that malaria cases have decreased by 90% in the past seven years, with the number of cases dropping from nearly five million in 2017 to 627,000 in 2023. The number of severe malaria cases also dropped from 18,000 in 2017 to 1,300 in 2023.

Measures taken include encouraging all residents to sleep under insecticide-treated mosquito nets, using drones to control mosquito breeding sites in marshlands and other areas, among other strategies.

A report from the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning detailing the use of the 2023/2024 budget indicated that, “In the fight against malaria, insecticide was sprayed in 1,218,800 homes in the districts of Nyagatare, Kirehe, Ngoma, Nyanza, Gisagara, Kayonza, Rwamagana, Kamonyi, and Bugesera.”

The budget allocated for combating malaria and other epidemic diseases such as AIDS and tuberculosis for the year 2024/2025 is RWF 77.7 billion.

The National Institute of Health reported that in 2018, 409 out of every 1000 people were infected with malaria, but this number significantly dropped to 47 per 1000 in 2023.

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