Rwanda
Rwandan children. Photo by by Erin Schiavone
The entire population of 12 million is at risk of malaria in Rwanda. Rwanda’s entire population of 12 million is at risk of malaria. Young children and pregnant women are particularly vulnerable to the disease.
The President’s Malaria Initiative began supporting indoor residual spraying (IRS) in Rwanda in 2007 in three districts and expanded to seven districts by 2009. In 2010, two rounds of spraying were conducted in the spring and fall. The following year, one round of IRS was conducted in five districts targeting roughly 350,000 structures. In 2012, AIRS, implemented by Abt Associates, targeted 240,000 structures in three districts: Bugesera, Nyagatare and Gisagara. Two rounds of spraying were conducted in 2013 in these same three districts.
Indoor Residual Spraying
In 2015, the PMI AIRS Project conducted two rounds of spraying. The February 2015 campaigns targeted structures in three districts: Bugesera, Gisagara, and Nyagatare, while the September campaign added a fourth district, Kirehe given its high malaria burden. Both spray rounds had high beneficiary acceptance and therefore reached over 98% coverage. The PMI AIRS Project scaled-up mHealth interventions. AIRS Rwanda launched a mobile supervision application which helped supervisors conduct their supervision visits in a standardized way. Supervision results were automatically sent to project staff who then made immediate recommendations for improvement based on findings. AIRS Rwanda also used a mobile performance tracker to monitor key spray campaign indicators real-time on a daily basis. Daily message reminders were sent to spray operators related to spray quality, proper use of personal protective equipment, among others.
In 2015, AIRS Rwanda conducted a national and district level capacity building boot camp to build MOPDD/MOH and district capacities in the various technical and functional components of IRS.
AIRS Rwanda hires women in equal or greater numbers than men in some positions. This is partially attributable to the high level of awareness of and support for gender integration and women’s empowerment among AIRS project staff.
Impact
IRS and other malaria control initiatives have made remarkable gains in the fight against malaria. Since 2006, all-cause mortality rates for children under five in Rwanda have decreased by 50%, according to the Malaria Indicator Survey.
Read the Rwanda PMI Country Profile to learn more.
AIRS Rwanda IRS Results, 2012
- Start date: August 21
- Length of campaign: 30 days
- Areas covered: Bugesera, Gisagara, and Nyagatare
| # Structures Sprayed | 357,764 |
|---|---|
| Spray Coverage | 98% |
| Total Population Protected | 1,547,496 |
| Children under 5 Protected | 241,832 |
| Pregnant Women Protected | 26,092 |
| # People Trained | 3,591 |
AIRS Rwanda IRS Results, 2013
- Start date: Round 1: February 11; Round 2: September 2
- Length of campaign: Round 1: 20 days; Round 2: 30 days
- Areas covered: Bugesera, Gisagara, Nyagatare
| # Structures Sprayed | 230,904 |
|---|---|
| Spray Coverage | 98.2% |
| Total Population Protected | 990,380 |
| Children under 5 Protected | 147,663 |
| Pregnant Women Protected | 16,151 |
| # People Trained | 1,925 |
AIRS Rwanda IRS Results, 2014
- Start date: Round 1: Feb 10; Round 2: Sept 8
- Length of campaign: Round 1: 24 days; Round 2: 24 days
- Areas covered: Bugesera, Gisagara, and Nyagatare
| # Structures Sprayed | 297,005 |
|---|---|
| Spray Coverage | 98.6% |
| Total Population Protected | 1,217,837 |
| Children under 5 Protected | 179,161 |
| Pregnant Women Protected | 19,666 |
| # People Trained | 2,681 |
AIRS Rwanda IRS Results, 2015
| # Structures Sprayed | 243,131 |
|---|---|
| Spray Coverage | 98.7% |
| Total Population Protected | 1,406,520 |
| Children under 5 Protected | 206,847 |
| Pregnant Women Protected | 22,864 |
| # People Trained | 3,157 |
AIRS Rwanda IRS Results, 2016
| # Structures Sprayed | 198,970 |
|---|---|
| Spray Coverage | 99.3% |
| Total Population Protected | 812,714 |
| Children under 5 Protected | 118,913 |
| Pregnant Women Protected | 13,718 |
| # People Trained | 1,833 |
