As Rwanda battles a resurgence of malaria cases, health authorities are stepping up efforts to prevent drug resistance by introducing two new treatments to support the country’s frontline medication, Coartem.
While Coartem remains the primary drug used to treat malaria in Rwanda, there have been cases where patients do not recover after treatment with Coartem due to various factors. To support its continued effectiveness and prevent resistance, new drugs have now been introduced.
On the occasion of World Malaria Day, the Rwanda Biomedical Center (RBC) officially announced the introduction of two new drugs for malaria treatment: Pyramax and Eurartesim.
The Director General of RBC, Professor Claude Mambo, told attendees that the measures put in place to tackle this issue have started to yield positive results, but emphasized that it requires everyone’s involvement to completely defeat malaria.
These measures include spraying insecticides to kill mosquitoes, distributing mosquito nets, fighting mosquito breeding grounds, and conducting awareness campaigns.
Other actions include introducing new malaria treatment drugs to complement the existing ones that had started losing effectiveness, and visiting households with confirmed malaria cases to test family members so that all infected individuals can be treated early.
“These two drugs are being added alongside Coartem to prevent resistance,” explained Professor Claude Mambo, Director General of RBC. “Treating malaria for an extended period using only Coartem leads to resistance,” he emphasized.
The two new drugs, Pyramax and Eurartesim, will be used alternately across three different regions. The Rwandan territory will be divided into three zones, each using a different medication, rotating every year.
Rwanda had successfully controlled malaria for five years. However, since 2024, a resurgence of the disease has been observed. Gasabo District, which hosted this year’s World Malaria Day events, reported over 14,000 cases, according to the latest statistics from February.
In response, the government has taken proactive measures. In Kigali City, where the numbers are particularly high, a malaria screening program was launched a week ago, targeting fifteen sectors. In each household visited, all family members were tested for malaria. The results revealed more than 700 positive cases among over 3,000 families.
Malaria treatment is managed at the village level. Anyone showing symptoms is tested by a community health worker, and if the results are positive, the patient receives free medication.
A positive case within a household now triggers malaria testing for all family members. Awareness campaigns are also being conducted by local authorities, civil society, and community health workers to reinforce this approach.
Contact: iriba.news@gmail.com
