Category: Health

By: Dianah Mutimura & agencies

New research findings have shown that that circumcised men find greater sexual enjoyment, thus easing one of the mental barriers to the circumcision campaign.

In 2006, trials in Kenya, Uganda and South Africa found foreskin removal more than halved men’s risk of infection by the human immunodeficiency virus.

The process of circumcision involves the removal of the foreskin, a fold of loose skin covering the head of the penis. The practice of circumcising males was right from Birth.

Male circumcision, an initiative being promoted in Africa to help prevent HIV/AIDS infection boosts men’s sexual pleasure according to a human medicine conference that wound up in Kigali on July 20.

Though circumcision is in many cultures and tribes all over the world, it is not a traditional practice in Rwanda but was seen as an Islamic religious culture, though it has gradually started to gain prominence on health grounds.

The government has strongly supported male-circumcision, because its goal is to reduce HIV/AIDS incidence rates by 50% and Dr. Mbabazi told igihe.com that their main target is to circumcise two million people by 2013.

Researchers at Makerere University in Uganda interviewed 316 men on average age of 22 years who had been circumcised between February and September 2009 among who, 82.3% said they were very satisfied with the operation while 17.7 % said they were satisfied.

A year after the circumcision, 87.7 per cent said they found it easier to reach orgasm and 92.3 per cent said they experienced more sexual pleasure while all said they were sexually active.

Furthermore, 90 per cent of interviewees said they were happy with the shape of their penises and 95.4 per cent said they believed their partners were also satisfied with its appearance.

Rwanda started the program of circumcising male last year in October in Musanze and Nyaza and according to Dr. Mbabanzi: “It wasn’t that easy because the study which was made showed that about 15% are uncircumcised but we have explained to people about the advantages and they are understanding it well.

“We started with 31 master trainer by training them so that they can train many more and so far 72 have been trained and each district has two nurses who undergo the training ” Mbabazi emphasized.

HIV/AIDS infection can be prevented up to 60% through circumcision Dr. Mbabazi explains that the fact is now backed by compelling evidence generated by various medical organizations including WHO, Uganda, Kenya, and South Africa and the studies show reduction of possible risk in cases of heterosexually acquired HIV infection among men.

Hategikimana Paul, a doctor at ST Peter Biomedical laboratory in Nyamirambo says it is true and acceptable that chances are high for a circumcised man not to be affected by the HIV AIDS.

“The fore skin of the penis keeps a lot of germs which can easy someone to be affected quickly but a man who is circumcised is out of germs and other bacteria unless he has some wounds on his penis”. Dr. Hategeka stressed

The Dr. Ukurikijifura Cyridion at Clinique Naroda in Kigali city also agrees that Male Circumcision is more advantageous to men because it keeps their penis in good shape and clean but concerning the sexual satisfaction one gets, he says it’s all the same except the mentality one gets because there were some changes and a feeling that everything has changed

Several church leads also support the idea as long as it is for good for the people, more especially Muslims for whom it is part of their religious belief. But they usually condemn extra-marital sex and warn that circumcision does not prevent HIV/ AIDS but only protects women from having cervical cancer, and it’s hygienic on men.

A Muslim woman only identified as Mama Hamusa, who was at Nyamirambo mosque said that she can not tolerate to see un circumcised man because ” he is un clean”

A major study done in Rwanda and other 6 countries has discovered that women using birth-control pills for family planning are more likely to get infected with HIV/Aids from an infected sexual partner.

The findings also show that the women studied were about twice as likely to transmit HIV if they were on the pill or taking a hormone shot like Depo-Provera, compared to those not on the birth control.

The new study was done from 2004 to 2010 in seven African countries – Rwanda, Kenya, Uganda, Botswana, Zambia, Tanzania and South Africa.

The research is the first to look at this question, said Renee Heffron of the University of Washington, one of the researchers, The Associated Press news agency reports.

The research was presented recently at a meeting in Rome of the International AIDS Society.

These damning findings come at a time when Rwanda is working on a major policy plan to curb its exploding population.

On average, Rwandan women are having 5 kids which government admits is unsustainable. Among the birth-control methods being promoted is the use of birth control pills.

New figures from government show that as of the end of last year, some 45 percent women were using contraceptives to reduce their birth numbers.

This latest research also found that uninfected women were about twice as likely to catch AIDS virus from their infected partners if they were on hormonal contraception, compared to those who were not. That finding echoed a phenomenon seen in earlier studies.

The researchers checked to make sure there were no significant differences in condom use, sexual behavior or other factors that would account for the differences.

Following comments from the Rwandan health officials and others in charge of population growth control is still underway and igihe.com is up to bringing you other details on the story.

Although Rwanda has made commendable strides in water distribution to various parts of the country, societies of most African countries still consider access to clean water and sanitation as a privilege to the rich yet those that are needy also have a right of access to safe water.

Aflodis Kagawa the country director of Rwanda NGOs Forum claims that in some rural areas the dwellers have difficulty in getting clean water and also lack better toilets too.

“Normally those living in the rural have less access to better toilets while slum dwellers in the city are often exposed to sewage originating from nearby factories,” he remarked.

Kagawa made the remarks during a general assembly involving members of the African Civil Society on Water and Sanitation (ANEW) of which RWASEF is part of the network.

Kagawa further noted that Rwanda’s progress towards ensuring sanitation for all wasn’t that bad compared to other countries and that RWASEF was also offering its contribution through several NGO’s that work under the umbrella.

“As we speak we’re constructing modern latrines to a good number of schools in the country as well as installing more water fountains in several villages,” he commented.

Construction of better toilets might be an impressive starting point but governments should show commitment in designing policies favouring clean environments.

ANEW has recommended to African ministers in charge of water and sanitation of water that have convened at the conference aimed at improving sanitation on the continent.

Edward Kairu the ANEW chairman based in Nairobi stressed that governments should demonstrate their political will ensuring that sanitation prevails among their citizens.

“So far we’re conducting awareness to our citizens showing them that they have a right to a hygienic environment thus should hold their leaders accountable,” he remarked.

The ANEW executive secretary Yiga Matovu noted that governments ought to ensure that marginalized people including; slum dwellers, women, disabled and the elderly especially those living in remote areas have access to both clean water and better sanitation.

Governments should have clear timetable and measurable targets for achieving expenditure of 0.5% of GDP on sanitation and safe water. This would be enhanced by separation of budget lines for sanitation spending that must be set for better targeting of funds and easy monitoring.

“Resources should be channeled towards countries with low sanitation coverage and a higher burden of sanitation diseases,” Matovu remarked.

The Unilever Global Social Mission director Myriam Sidibe highlighted that children constitute the majority of victims since on average 30% of global population wash their hands with soap before eating, meaning the rest are at a high risk of being affected.

She added that the number of children dying of diarrhoea and pneumonia is very high estimated at about 1.5million while 1.9 million children die of respiratory infections.

By:Dianah Mutimura

Habyarimana Anastase, a doctor with the American society and China Green World International in Rwanda says that when a person gets to know that he or she has too much weight the first step is indulging in vigorous physical exercises to minimise the weight.

He adds that it’s better when a person wants to reduce on weight to first consult the doctor for the advice on how to reduce weight instead of using his or her own methods that might have side effects on one’s health.

The doctor further explains that, “you can do exercises thinking that the weight is reducing yet you are adding more because there wasn’t any advice from the doctor to describe for you what type of exercise that conducive for your health”

According to him the most important thing is that when a person knows that high weight can cause some diseases like debate, high blood pressure, and heart disease, he or she adjusts accordingly. This physiotherapist emphasizes that not all people who want to reduce their weight succeed as they wish.

“The weight that is caused by the food, more especially of animals, reducing it is very simple but there are others who increase weight through family inheritance which is not easy for that person to reduce weight apart from being strong and also reduce few weights.

Adelphine, one of the patient at Green World International in Nyabugogo said that after two months, she has been following the doctor’s prescriptions, she has lost 8kg over 80kg she had, which were not making her comfortable because the weight contrasted with her height.

“The doctor recommended me to do exercise of walking every day, drinking a lot of clean water at least 3 litters per day, and even to drink tea called “thé d’amaigrissement” to reduce on my fats in the body”. Adelphine explains.

She went on to say that if she acquires the size she wants, she will try her best to avoid what was causing her fatness because it kills her figure.

If your child is five years old, pay attention to the unexpected gain, and the body weight will slowly increase normally as he or she gradually gains maturity.

It’s in five year period that kids gain weight easily and it’s most common for kids from seven years to twelve years because a children’s weight increment may relate to their widened diet and appetite. Dr. Habyariman observes.

Fattiness is seen as a disease now days, where a number of people have huge weight and in developing countries like Rwanda, hospitals or clinics which are specialized in physiotherapist are rarely found where majority of the clinics are foreign clinics which even follow their foreign currency to treat people according to Dr. Habyarimana

By: Supreetha Guballa

The Ministry of Disaster preparedness and Refugees has started a week long “Come and See Visit” for three Rwandan Refugees who are living in Lubumbashi, DRC.

The purpose of the visit is to allow the refugees to come back to Rwanda for themselves, assess the situation and choose to return voluntarily.

The refugees chosen for the visit were Methode Umimana, 17 years, Innocent Hategekimana, 43years and Jean Basco Zumushukuru 18years along with Gaitrie Ammersing, UNHCR Protection Officer .

Also in the delegation were CNR Representative Theresa Prado from DRC and the ministry official Gaspard Murekezi who will be traveling with the regugees throughout the various provinces of Rwanda to experience what it is like now.

This morning the Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Antoine Ruvebana welcomed the refugees, telling them: “The current stage of development Rwanda is on is a result of the work of all Rwandans, not an individual effort, what we need now more than ever is to work together. In order to do so, we need our fellow Rwandans in refugee camps to return”

He explained to them all the changes that have occurred while they were refugees, especially in education sector urged them to avoid the propaganda outside of Rwanda, see for themselves so that repatriation occurs out of individual desire.

Out of the three refugees that were chosen, only one had lived in Rwanda for a long time but he appreciated the changes he saw upon re-entry.

“When we entered the country no one asked for our identity, so we felt comfortable.” He said adding that the only problem is that many still believed Rwandan refugees coming from the Congo now were working for FDLR, and many refugees in DR Congo were stigmatized, although this is not the case for them.

Both Umimana and Zumushukuru, revealed they never really knew Rwanda, as they left when they were still infants. Zumushukuru said: “I was always curious about the country and its people, because I did not know what it was like here.”

UNHCR Representative Ammersing assured the refugees that the UNHCR was indeed there to assist them in understanding how Rwanda has changed and what their possibilities of life here are.

The group will now be headed to Butare to visit the Nyaruguru district, visit family there and various projects that are taking place there.

Tomorrow they are scheduled to go to Cyanguga and Rusizi, followed by a visit to the refugee transit center at Nyagatare, Gisenyi, and Rubavu.

They are expected to be shown all the socio-economic improvement programs taking place in Rwanda that seem to give them positive impression of the country.

A mother’s education is key in determining whether her children will survive their first five years of life.

In the 2011 Millennium Development Goals report, the highest levels of under-five mortality continue to be found in sub-SaharanAfrica, where one in eight children dies before the age of five.

In all developing regions, children of mothers with some education are at less risk of dying.

A child’s chances of surviving increase even further if their mother has a secondary or higher education.

In addition to education, child survival rates can also be improved by increasing equity in other social services.

Empowering women, removing financial and social barriers to welfare, encouraging innovations to make critical services more available to the poor and increasing the accountability of health systems at the local level are examples of policy interventions that could improve equity, with benefits for child survival.

Despite substantial progress in reducing child deaths, children from rural households are still at a disadvantage, according to household survey data from 80 countries. This holds true for all developing countries.

Disparities are most pronounced in Latin America and the Caribbean and in Eastern and South-Eastern Asia (excluding China), where overall child mortality is low.

According to data from 66 countries, children from the poorest households are also at a disadvantage when it comes to surviving their first five years of life.

In the developing countries as a whole, children from the poorest 20% of households have more than twice the risk of dying before their fifth birthday as children in the richest 20% of households.

The greatest disparities are found in Latin America and the Caribbean and in Eastern and South Eastern Asia (excluding China), where the risk is nearly three times as high.

Steady progress is being made in reducing child deaths. Globally, the mortality rate for children under five has declined by a third, from 89 deaths per 1,000 live births in 1990 to 60 in 2009. All countries, except sub-Saharan Africa, Southern Asia and Oceania, have seen reductions of at least 50 per cent.

Despite population growth, the number of deaths in children under five worldwide declined from 12.4 million in 1990 to 8.1 million in 2009, which translates into nearly 12,000 fewer children dying each day.

The greatest success is found in Northern Africa and Eastern Asia, where under-five mortality declined by 68 per cent and 58 per cent, respectively.

Among countries with high under-five mortality (above 40 deaths per 1,000 live births), 10 countries reduced their rates by at least half.

Among them, Bangladesh, Eritrea, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Madagascar, Nepal and TimorLeste recorded a 60 per cent drop or more.

The highest levels of under-five mortality continue to be found in sub-Saharan Africa, where one in eight children die before the age of five (129 deaths per 1,000 live births), nearly twice the average in developing regions overall and around 18 times the average in developed regions.

With rapid progress in other regions, the disparities between them and sub-Saharan Africa have widened. Southern Asia has the second highest rate—69 deaths per 1,000 live births or about one child in 14.

All of the 31 countries with under-five mortality of at least 100 deaths per 1,000 live births, except Afghanistan, are in sub-Saharan Africa.

At the same time, major inroads are being made. Four of the ten countries with more than a 50 per cent reduction in child deaths between 1990 and 2009 are in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Furthermore, five of the six countries with a reduction of more than 100 deaths per 1,000 live births are in this region.

Increasing evidence suggests that the MDG target can be reached, but only with substantial and accelerated action to eliminate the leading killers of children.

In sub-Saharan Africa, diarrhea, malaria and pneumonia are responsible for more than half the deaths of children under five.

In Southern Asia, over half of all childhood deaths occur in the first 28 days after birth, pointing to the need for better post-natal care. In both regions, under nutrition is an underlying cause of a third of these deaths.

Special efforts to fight pneumonia, diarrhea and malaria, while bolstering nutrition, could save the lives of millions of children.

The Millennium Development Goals report is based on a master set of data compiled by an Inter-agency and Expert Group on MDG Indicators led by the Department of Economic and Social affairs of the United Nations Secretariat, in response to the wishes of the General assembly for periodic assessment of progress towards the MDGs.

The Group comprises representatives of the international organizations whose activities include the preparation of one or more of the series of statistical indicators that were identified as appropriate for monitoring progress towards the MDGs.