Today is the World Malaria Day and this year all partners involved in malaria control are united under a common theme; ‘Invest in the future: Defeat malaria.’

This theme will run up to 2015 when all countries will be expected to report on progress on achieving the MDGs.

This important day offers an opportunity for the Government of Rwanda to strategise with its partners and Rwandans in general about the future of combating this infectious disease and how we, as a nation, can attain the target of zero-malaria deaths by 2017 after having successfully attained the Malaria related MDG goal in 2010.

For the last decade, Rwanda has made tremendous progress in malaria control and prevention with more than 75 per cent decline in malaria deaths and incidence between the years 2005 and 2011.

Since 2009, Rwanda is on the move towards universal coverage of mosquito nets with 82 per cent of households having at least one long lasting insecticide treated net. Again, more than 70 per cent of children under-five and pregnant women sleep under a long lasting treated net.

By 2009, Rwanda had also achieved universal treatment of malaria cases using Artemisinine Combination Treatment (ACTs) both at health facility level and at community level using Community Health Workers (CHW) who were trained to test malaria with Rapid Diagnostic Test (RDTs). Today more than 94 per cent of all sick children are treated within 24 hours and 99 per cent of malaria cases are lab diagnosed before receiving the correct treatment.

According to the 2010 Demographic Health Survey (DHS), malaria prevalence decreased from 2.6 in 2008 to 1.4 in 2010 in children Under-five and from 1.4 in 2008 to 0.7 in 2010 among pregnant women.

The key to our success has largely been an aggressive Government-led rollout plan that combines an integrated mix of prevention, treatment and mosquito control activities, with a strong emphasis on strengthening our health system. 

As a result of these interventions, in January 2013, Rwanda was recognised for its exemplary leadership in policy impact and implementation in the fight against malaria with two ALMA Awards for Excellence.

Much as we take pride in these achievements, we are also mindful of the fact that each day, a child dies from Malaria in Rwanda. Though incomparable to the continental average where one child dies every minute from malaria, we think that for Rwanda, this number is still high and unacceptable.

Currently, the malaria burden in Rwanda has transitioned from a nationwide problem into a focal problem mostly in six high malaria burden districts along the border in the Eastern and Southern provinces, which account for over 60 per cent of the malaria burden.

As a government, we are determined to ensure that even these high-risk areas become low-risk in the near future by rolling out a combination of preventive mentions and engaging in cross-border collaborations with our neigbours since these affected areas lie along Rwanda’s geographical borderlines.

But the battle remains tough and the challenges remain enormous. Going forward, we need to think deeply to safeguard our achievements, especially through sustainable funding for malaria control intervention. We also need to concretise strategies on how to deal with the threat of insecticide and drug resistance that is foreseen in the near future.

The Government of Rwanda, in close collaboration with partners like the Global Fund, PMI and WHO, has started innovations for sustainability in the area of malaria control interventions that maximise impact per money spent and the welfare of the community.

As we move towards 2015, Rwanda focuses on achieving zero deaths and reducing malaria morbidity to pre-elimination levels by 2017. This can only be achieved if all Rwandans clean their environment and mosquitoes bleeding sites, sleep every night under a treated mosquito net, seek health care and get the best treatment which is available in all health facilities and at community level through the 30,000 Community Health Workers (CHWs).

It is important for us to keep the momentum, as we have to stay on course since malaria resurgence is a persistent threat as seen in Rwanda and elsewhere in East Africa.

Rwanda has shown that malaria can be defeated and it is the responsibility of every citizen to render a hand in ensuring that we attain our target of zero deaths due to malaria.

The writer is the Head of Malaria Division, Rwanda Biomedical Centre (RBC).

Twitter: @ckarema