Rwanda kicks off a special battle against Mosquitoes with complex spraying Technics to curb Malaria

By Elias Hakizimana.

The Government of Rwanda through the Ministry of Health has started an advanced battle campaign to combat mosquitoes with new special spraying techniques coupled with machinery spraying technology to kill mosquitoes in the swamps and their boundaries. 

The initiative was launched on Thursday June 28, 2018 in Kamonyi District’s Kimanama rice Marshland by the Ministry of Health in partnership with the Ministry of Defense, Police and a local company “AGROPY” that makes various pesticides to fight against mosquitoes.

The new strategy of spraying pesticides in the swamps and their surroundings is coupled with planting mosquito repellent plants to tackle them.

Officially launching the campaign, Dr Diane Gashumba, the Minister of Health said that Rwanda wants to put tree nurseries in all districts and all sectors to eliminate mosquitoes especially during rain periods.

“We wish that every citizen will have such trees, we plan to conduct a special Umuganda to plant these mosquito repellent plants and we believe they will give out positive feedback in reducing the mosquitoes,” Dr Gashumba noted.

Other measures like in doors residual spraying have been used and the current one was taken into account and given much emphasis to first approach the critical places where mosquitoes are multiplied from.

The government has run other treatment measures to treat malaria in the villages to try reduce it at 80 percent.

“Let us continue to partner with armies, police and other partners to end Malaria, she added.

By May 2017, 4 million of people in Rwanda suffered from Malaria. The southern Province is the most affected; and dominantly affects pregnant women and under five year-old children.

During the kick off of this campaign, Defence minister James Kabarebe said that an effective security is guaranteed when people are not sick or hungry and that it is the reason why the armies and police have been partnering with the rest of the population in agriculture and health sector.

“It is also the reason why Rwanda armies put efforts in planting and preserving pyrethrum,” he said.

The pyrethrum is used in producing the new pesticide in AGROPY factory.

The campaign started from Kamonyi district and will soon be introduced in other districts that are affected by Malaria.

“It is a battle we have brought in mosquitoes and we must succeed all together,” Kabarebe added.

Kamonyi district is among the 10 affected districts with Malaria countrywide. It has 387,127 populations and 28 percent of them suffered from Malaria by May 2017, 9 of them died.

Shaka or Kimanama marshland in which the battle has kicked off is between Gacurabwenge and Musambira sectors. The population that surround Mukunguri swamp in Mugina sector are also affected by 50%.

One of the reasons according to Alice Kayitesi, Kamonyi district’s Mayor is that the citizens are not yet fully participating in buying Mituelle de Santé. The recent statistics show that only 82.5% of population in Kamonyi joined the health insurance scheme.

“We target by the end of this year to have 100 percent of our people joining Mutuelle de Santé,” said Kayitesi.