Youth are stepping into the fight against neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) in Ruhango and Bugesera Districts, health issues that have long received little attention. ALSO READ: Community efforts against deadly intestinal worms paying off in Rwanda The initiative, led by Dr. Christian Tunga, country representative for the Malaria and NTDs Youth Corps, began in January 2025 to engage young people in prevention efforts. ALSO READ: World NTDs Day: A look at common diseases in Rwanda By November 2025, more than 500 youth had joined the programme, 100 in Kigali and around 400 in Ruhango and Bugesera districts, Dr. Tunga said. “The first step was to recruit and train youth so they could understand community challenges and contribute solutions. These trained youth became local implementers, building toilets to reduce open defecation, going door-to-door to raise awareness, and addressing behaviors that allow diseases like bilharzia and intestinal worms to spread,” Dr. Tunga said. He added that in December, outreach activities blended health education with sports, including football matches, providing opportunities to engage residents while delivering health information. “Over three days, these events reached thousands of people across four sectors in each district. Using approaches familiar to youth such as sports, talents, and community interaction, helped make prevention messages more accessible and relevant,” Dr. Tunga stated. The initiative has supported collaboration with local authorities and partner organizations, while using social media platforms such as TikTok, Instagram, and X to share information in youth-friendly ways. “By training young people and supporting their role within communities, we are ensuring that NTDs receive attention at the local level, among the people living with them.” Rwanda will join the rest of the world to observe World Neglected Tropical Diseases Day on January 30 in Ruhango District, where the risk of these diseases is high. NTDs cause pain, disfigurement, and, in some cases, permanent disability. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), they cost households more than $33 billion annually. Experts say prevention and treatment are highly cost-effective, making NTD interventions one of the best investments in global public health. According to the Ministry of Health (MoH), eight of the 20 diseases categorized by WHO as NTDs affect thousands of people in Rwanda each year, with intestinal worms among the most common. Ladislas Nshimiyimana, Acting Director of NTD and Other Parasitic Diseases Unit at the Rwanda Biomedical Centre (RBC), said intestinal worms are prevalent, particularly in districts in the Western, Northern, and Southern provinces. A national survey in 2020 found an overall prevalence of 38.7 percent, with adults more affected at 46.1 percent. Routine data for the 2024/2025 fiscal year show the same provinces are most affected. “To address this, we have increased community mobilisation in high-burden areas, working with farmers, students, teachers, and fishermen to improve prevention practices and health-seeking behavior,” Nshimiyimana said. He added that the mass drug administration strategy has been revised, introducing combination therapy with albendazole and ivermectin in Nyabihu, Rubavu, and Rutsiro districts, as albendazole alone was less effective against whipworm. “The combination therapy has demonstrated much higher cure rates.” In Bugesera and Ruhango districts, an integrated intervention is being implemented to interrupt transmission, including health education, improvements in water, sanitation, and hygiene, and strengthened diagnosis and treatment services. The target is to stop transmission in these areas by 2027, he added. “The main challenges are access to adequate Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) services and sustained behavior change toward prevention and early care seeking. These challenges must be addressed if Rwanda is to eliminate intestinal worms as a public health problem by 2030,” he said. Other NTDs affect communities living near lakes, rivers, and wetlands, where daily contact with unsafe water increases infection risk. Bilharzia, or schistosomiasis, caused by parasitic worms that can damage the liver, intestines, and other organs, is a concern in several districts and is endemic in 1,013 administrative cells across 30 districts. Taenia/Cysticercosis (tapeworm infection), which can cause neurocysticercosis (a brain infection that is a main cause of seizures is linked to 23% of epilepsy cases in Gisagara and Huye districts in the Southern Province. Scabies, based on rapid assessments in eight primary schools across four provinces, showed prevalence ranging from 0 to 20%, with 110,042 cases reported in 2020. Podoconiosis, a non-infectious swelling of the feet and legs caused by long-term exposure to certain soils, is estimated to affect 6,000 people nationwide (2017 mapping), with 13 treatment centers available. Leprosy sees an average of 30 new cases reported annually by health facilities.
