Eliminating sickness and death from bilharzia and soil-transmitted helminthiasis—a worm infection—by 2030 in Rwanda can boost the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) The forecasts are contained in the latest report by the Economist Intelligence Unit, which suggests that wiping out tropical diseases could boost the country’s GDP by $400 million by 2040. Tropical diseases remain an obstacle to the socio-economic development and quality of life of the people of Rwanda. Over 560 million people in Africa remain at risk of neglected tropical disease (NTDs) — a group of parasitic and bacterial infectious diseases, such as river blindness and intestinal worms, the report said. Released on October 6, the report states that schistosoma mansoni and all the major species of soil-transmitted helminthiasis— intestinal worms that are transmitted to humans through contaminated soil—are endemic in Rwanda. The three main species that infect humans are ascaris lumbricoides (roundworm), trichuris trichiura (whipworm), and necator americanus and ancylostoma duodenale (two species of hookworm). Schistosoma mansoni causes intestinal but not genitourinary schistosomiasis. The report looked at, among other things, how reducing the illness and early death associated with NTD would increase adults economic productivity and how treating and preventing NTDs at a large scale could greatly increase the GDPs of countries that are currently burdened by disease. In the over 54 countries across Africa where NTDs persist, there is a great economic and social burden due to these diseases, the report says, with the most common NTDs in Africa being intestinal worms and bilharzia. “If left untreated, these diseases can cause disability and early death. NTDs affect societys most marginalised and poverty-stricken communities that often have limited access to clean water and good sanitation,” the report reads in part. The report analysed that the elimination of sickness and death from bilharzia and soil-transmitted helminthiasis in Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda and Zimbabwe by 2030 could boost these countries’ Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by US$5.1bn in purchasing power parity terms by 2040. The greatest potential gains are seen in Ethiopia at US$3.2bn, followed by Kenya (US$1.3bn), Rwanda (US$0.4bn), and Zimbabwe (US$0.3bn). All the figures are in regard to purchasing power parity. According to the report, these economic gains would be a direct result of reductions in illness that would allow adults to work and contribute more actively to the economy. In addition, eliminating parasitic infections among school-age children would improve their ability to learn and attend school. In the last 10 years, we have had tremendous improvements in the health of the children. We have dramatically reduced morbidity. But we cannot stop the control interventions now. If we stop, we lose all the benefits, Dr Antonio Montresor, Medical Officer, in charge of Soil-transmitted Helminthiasis (STH), department of NTDs, WHO explains. Between 2007 and 2010, $3.3 million in philanthropic funding was provided to Rwanda’s NTD programme. With such funding, in June 2007 the Ministry of Health launched a large-scale control programme for NTDs, targeting the five NTDs for which preventive chemotherapy is available. The funding also covered diagnostic equipment for health facilities, health personnel training and the development of indicators that were added to the country’s Health Management Information System. As a result of these efforts, prevalence rates of both schistosomiasis and STH almost halved in Rwanda between 2000 and 2017, respectively falling from 13 per cent to 6.7 per cent and 55 per cent to 31 per cent. The report says that eliminating NTDs requires concerted action that is tailored to local contexts.
