Following recent reports from neighbouring Uganda concerning a new strain of anopheles mosquitoes, the Head of the Malaria unit in TRAC plus, Dr. Corrine Karema has said that Rwanda is safe from such outbreaks. 

By the end of last month media reports from Uganda showed that the big anopheles mosquitoes invaded Kabarole district, infecting residents with malaria and leaving a rash on their skins.

Citing the country’s Indoor Residual Spraying (IRS) which involves spraying inside households to prevent malaria, Karema emphasized that the spread of malaria is under control adding that outbreak of rare mosquitoes cannot occur in the country.

"We have so far done four phases of IRS in areas that show a high risk of malaria transmission but during these processes we endeavour to use different insecticides for every phase.

"This is one way of keeping such strange outbreaks at bay and soon we will begin the fifth phase. Once mosquitoes get used to particular insecticides then they may re-emerge in various types just like those reported in Uganda,” Karema explained.

The previous IRS that was held at the end of last year covered 97.7 percent in seven high risk districts of Gasabo, Kicukiro, Nyarugenge, Nyanza, Kirehe, Nyaruguru, and Bugesera.

Malaria is the number one killer of children especially in sub-Saharan Africa. Statistics show that 2 out of 10 people who die at health facilities are a result of Malaria.

Malaria contributes 16 percent to the mortality rate especially among children under five and pregnant women. Officials also add that in the past two years, malaria infections in the country reduced by 60 percent.

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