A 4-year research study on Malaria in Bugesera district has kicked off to determine why there is high prevalance of the disease in that zone of Rwanda.
Bugesera district is among the most affected districts with high malaria cases. The research aims at giving direction on malaria control.
Dr. Claver Kayumba, the Acting Director General of Rwanda Biomedical Centre, says, “This is one of the most affected areas with Malaria. The research will be able to identify how Malaria can be eliminated.
Dr. Kayumba added that despite issuing of mosquito nets and spraying insecticides to kill mosquitoes, “we still have malaria cases. The Research team will identify why and what the way forward should be.”
Fredrick Gatera(PHD student) also on the research team, said that there could be many underlying causes of high malaria prevalence in this area.
Gatera noted that the Area has only one health centre serving over 35 villages which could be one of the factors.
“We want to look at the impact of Community Health Workers (CHW’s) and their delivery of community health services. While they’ve done a good job, there’s need to evaluate their impact and see if they can use them as key first line diagnosis and treatment options since there’s only one health centre in Ruhuha sector.”
The Research team also says, they intends to identify if CHW’s can mobilize community because community involvement is very crucial in disease control.
Additional Information NewTimes
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