{"id":107613,"date":"2025-08-16T18:24:10","date_gmt":"2025-08-16T18:24:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/all-news\/bilharzias-ongoing-impact-on-rural-rwandan-children"},"modified":"2025-08-16T18:48:47","modified_gmt":"2025-08-16T18:48:47","slug":"bilharzias-ongoing-impact-on-rural-rwandan-children","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/all-news\/bilharzias-ongoing-impact-on-rural-rwandan-children","title":{"rendered":"Bilharzia’s Ongoing Impact on Rural Rwandan Children"},"content":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Rwanda. <\/strong><\/span>When Eugenie Niyoyita\u2019s eight-year-old daughter, Devotha Ahishakiye, fell ill in 2021, the farmer from Kiramuruzi Sector, Gatsibo District, first assumed it was a common sickness.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe had fever, diarrhoea, and was weak. I took her to health centres several times, but the medication wasn\u2019t improving her condition,\u201d she recalls.<\/p>\n

It wasn\u2019t until a community health worker urged her to attend a special screening campaign that she discovered her child had bilharzia.<\/p>\n

The disease is a parasitic infection that is spread through contact with contaminated water.<\/p>\n

Ahishakiye received medication and got better, but it left her mother with key lessons regarding hygiene.<\/p>\n

\u201cNow, we make sure to boil our water before drinking it to prevent such cases in the future,” she adds.<\/p>\n

According to Rwanda Biomedical Centre (RBC), more than 1,200 bilharzia cases are reported in health facilities each year, mostly among children.<\/p>\n

A 2020 national survey identified Bugesera District as one of the most affected areas.<\/p>\n

The same survey found that intestinal worms remain Rwanda\u2019s most common neglected tropical disease, with a national prevalence of 41 per cent.<\/p>\n

Nearly half of the country\u2019s administrative cells, 1,013 out of 2,148, were found eligible for mass deworming campaigns. Under a draft elimination plan, each cell will receive a tailored deworming schedule once or twice a year, or every two years.<\/p>\n

Francois Havugimana, also a resident of Kiramuruzi Sector in the same district, had a similar experience with his daughter.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe was often sick with fever and too weak to do anything, following the time she was always around the wetlands, which we later learned was a risk factor.\u201d<\/p>\n

After a doctor screened children in the area, his daughter tested positive for bilharzia.<\/p>\n

Bilharzia, also known as schistosomiasis, is caused by parasitic worms and is most common in areas with stagnant or contaminated water. People working in or around wetlands are particularly vulnerable.<\/p>\n

Ladislas Nshimiyimana, Acting Director of the NTDs and Other Parasitic Diseases Unit at Rwanda Biomedical Centre (RBC), says the disease is spread by waterborne snails that carry the parasites.<\/p>\n

\u201cPoor sanitation, like excreting in or near wetlands, increases the risk of spreading the disease,\u201d he explained.<\/p>\n

According to Nshimiyimana, RBC is distributing praziquantel tablets, the recommended drug to treat bilharzia, to residents across 1,013 cells identified as high-risk.<\/p>\n

To reduce infections, RBC is also promoting the use of protective gear such as high boots and long gloves for people working in wetlands.<\/p>\n

Awareness through storytelling<\/b><\/p>\n

In high-risk areas like Gatsibo, where a 2022 study confirmed the district as one of the most affected, prevention efforts are being supported by community engagement campaigns.<\/p>\n

One such initiative is the Storytelling Lab Initiative, which trains students, teachers, and later parents to raise awareness about bilharzia and how to prevent it.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe goal is to equip communities with knowledge, starting with schools, so that future infections can be avoided,\u201d Nshimiyimana said.<\/p>\n

Yvonne Ninyembabazi, the coordinator of the Bilharzia Storytelling Lab, said one of the major challenges is that the disease remains largely unknown or neglected by many communities.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur initiative aims to raise awareness so that people understand the risks and take preventive measures in their daily routines, such as wearing long boots when working in wetlands,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

For More News And Analysis About Rwanda<\/span> Follow Africa-Press<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Rwanda. When Eugenie Niyoyita\u2019s eight-year-old daughter, Devotha Ahishakiye, fell ill in 2021, the farmer from Kiramuruzi Sector, Gatsibo District, first assumed it was a common sickness. \u201cShe had fever, diarrhoea, and was weak. I took her to health centres several times, but the medication wasn\u2019t improving her condition,\u201d she recalls. It wasn\u2019t until […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":107612,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[24,30],"tags":[7813,4355,3013,758],"class_list":["post-107613","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-news","category-community","tag-bilharzia","tag-ntds","tag-rbc","tag-rwanda"],"yoast_head":"\nBilharzia's Ongoing Impact on Rural Rwandan Children - Rwanda<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"When Eugenie Niyoyita\u2019s eight-year-old daughter, Devotha Ahishakiye, fell ill in 2021, the farmer from Kiramuruzi Sector ...\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/all-news\/bilharzias-ongoing-impact-on-rural-rwandan-children\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Bilharzia's Ongoing Impact on Rural Rwandan Children\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"When Eugenie Niyoyita\u2019s eight-year-old daughter, Devotha Ahishakiye, fell ill in 2021, the farmer from Kiramuruzi Sector ...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/all-news\/bilharzias-ongoing-impact-on-rural-rwandan-children\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Rwanda\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-08-16T18:24:10+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-08-16T18:48:47+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/sites\/23\/2025\/08\/sm_1755357420.4224.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1000\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"667\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/all-news\/bilharzias-ongoing-impact-on-rural-rwandan-children#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/all-news\/bilharzias-ongoing-impact-on-rural-rwandan-children\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"cfeditoren\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb\"},\"headline\":\"Bilharzia’s Ongoing Impact on Rural Rwandan Children\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-08-16T18:24:10+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-08-16T18:48:47+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/all-news\/bilharzias-ongoing-impact-on-rural-rwandan-children\"},\"wordCount\":552,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/all-news\/bilharzias-ongoing-impact-on-rural-rwandan-children#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/sites\/23\/2025\/08\/sm_1755357420.4224.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Bilharzia\",\"NTDs\",\"RBC\",\"Rwanda\"],\"articleSection\":[\"all news\",\"Community\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/all-news\/bilharzias-ongoing-impact-on-rural-rwandan-children#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/all-news\/bilharzias-ongoing-impact-on-rural-rwandan-children\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/all-news\/bilharzias-ongoing-impact-on-rural-rwandan-children\",\"name\":\"Bilharzia's Ongoing Impact on Rural Rwandan Children - 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