Four million women and children were de-wormed

More than 4 million women and children were de-wormed during the most recent neglected tropical disease (NTD) control campaign in Rwanda.

More than 4 million women and children were de-wormed during the most recent neglected tropical disease (NTD) control campaign in Rwanda. In an ongoing effort to build a foundation for sustainable NTD control, the NTD/Access Project, the Rwandan government, and other international partners delivered the treatments, with locally trained community health providers, during the most recent Mother and Child Health Week.

Over the course of the week-long initiative which took place in March 2009, representatives administered albendazole to a targeted population of children under five, school-age children, and post-partum women, to treat for soil-transmitted helminths (STHs), reaching 95.2% of the target population. Additionally in high prevalence areas children were treated with praziquantel for schistosomiasis; vitamin A, immunizations, family planning services and health education messages were also delivered throughout the country.

Rwanda Mother and Child Health Week Treatment Numbers:

• Total number of people treated with albendazole for STHs: 4,237,118
• Total pre-school children treated: 1,320,343
• Total post-partum women treated 63,495
• Total school-age children treated 2,853,280
• Estimated treatment coverage rate for STHs: 95.2%
• Total number of children treated with praziquantel for schistosomiasis: 105,786

Research has shown that eliminating the burden of NTDs could lift millions out of poverty worldwide by ensuring children stay in school to learn and prosper and improving maternal and child health. NTDs infect over 400 million school-age children throughout the developing world. Controlling intestinal worms alone will help to avoid 16 million cases of mental retardation and 200 million years of lost primary schooling. Recent studies have found that NTDs – especially soil-transmitted helminths (STHs) – are prevalent throughout Rwanda. In 2007, over 65% of school-age children were found to be infected with STHs nationwide; in the Northern Province, the prevalence rate surpasses 80%. In the district of Musanze, in the northern province of Rwanda, there is a staggering 95% prevalence of STH among school-age children.

Rwanda’s Mother and Child Health Week Partners include: The Rwandan Minister of Health, Rwandan Government Officials, the Global Network for Neglected Tropical Diseases, UNICEF, the World Health Organization, USAID, The Global Fund, The Earth Institute’s the Access Project, World Food Program, GTZ and UNFPA.