Rwanda's Mother and Child Health Week Kicks Off

Neglected Tropical Disease (NTD) Prevalence Rates Up to 95% Among Rwandan School-Children.

Neglected Tropical Disease (NTD) Prevalence Rates Up to 95% Among Rwandan School-Children

Continued progress in fighting NTDs is being made in Rwanda this week as the government and its partners kick off the Mother and Child Health Week on Tuesday, March 24 at an Opening Ceremony in Musanze. Over the course of the week-long initiative, albendazole will be administered to a targeted population of 4 million children under five, school-aged children, and post-partum women, to treat for soil-transmitted helminths (STHs).

Additionally, in the high prevalence areas, praziquantel will be administered to an estimated 100,000 people for schistosomiasis infection. The goal of the campaign is to treat all pre and school-aged children nationwide – covering approximately one-half of Rwanda’s population. Vitamin A, immunizations, family planning services and health education messages will also be delivered throughout the country during the course of the campaign.

Recent studies have found that NTDs – especially soil-transmitted helminths (STHs) and schistosomiasis – are prevalent throughout Rwanda. In 2007, over 65% of school-aged children were found to be infected with STHs nationwide; in the Northern Province, the prevalence rate surpasses 80%. In Musanze, in the northern province of Rwanda, there is a staggering 95% prevalence of STH among school-aged children.

The Rwandan Minister of Health will speak at the opening ceremony. There will also be representatives from the participating partner organizations, including: Rwandan Government Officials, the Global Network for Neglected Tropical Disease Control, UNICEF, the World Health Organization, USAID, The Global Fund, The Earth Institute’s the Access Project, World Food Program, GTZ and UNFPA.