KIGALI, April 25 (Xinhua) -- Rwanda has successfully reduced malaria cases by 88 percent over the last seven years through a series of targeted interventions, including extensive community engagement, a health official said Thursday.
Malaria incidence plummeted from around five million cases in 2017 to 600,000 in 2023, representing an 88 percent reduction. Severe malaria cases similarly declined from 18,000 in 2017 to 1,300 in 2023, with malaria-related fatalities dropping from approximately 600 in 2017 to 51 in 2023, according to Aimable Mbituyumuremyi, an official from the Rwanda Biomedical Center (RBC).
Data from the RBC also revealed a significant decrease in malaria prevalence, with only 47 cases per 1,000 people in 2023, down from 409 per 1,000 people in 2017. Rwanda has set an ambitious target to eliminate malaria by 2030.
Mbituyumuremyi credited this remarkable progress to the implementation of malaria response interventions, including the use of digital and innovative tools, as well as robust community engagement.
In 2020, Rwanda introduced the use of drone technology for larvicide spraying in swamps, complementing indoor residual spraying to target mosquitoes at their breeding grounds. Mbituyumuremyi said this innovative approach is a significant step toward malaria eradication.
The official highlighted the vital role played by community health workers, who manage 60 percent of malaria cases in communities. Additionally, mosquito bed nets are distributed to vulnerable groups, including pregnant women and children, nationwide.
Globally, in 2022, there were an estimated 249 million malaria cases and 608,000 malaria deaths in 85 countries, according to the World Health Organization. Africa accounted for 94 percent of malaria cases and 95 percent of malaria deaths, with children under five representing about 80 percent of all malaria deaths in the region.
