Indoor Residual Spraying Protects Mother and Children in Rwanda

	"Since the house was sprayed no one has been sick." Source: USAID/Rwanda

Kyankazi lives in a modest home with her six children on the outskirts of Kigali, Rwanda. The house is located in Kicukiro District, a malaria-endemic area where lives have been unnecessarily lost due to the disease. Malaria has been a constant worry and frequent burden for Kyankazi's family.

In order to combat malaria and save lives, the President's Malaria Initiative, through USAID and Rwanda's Ministry of Health, conducted the first-ever large-scale indoor residual spraying (IRS) campaign in Rwanda between August and October 2007.

Before the homes were sprayed the Research Triangle Institute (RTI), an international nongovernmental organization, trained and mobilized communication specialists to visit residents' homes to ensure that the families understood the importance and purpose of the campaign. Residents, including Kyankazi and her family, were instructed to remove furniture and food and cover any remaining items with cloth.

More than 150,000 homes were sprayed, and more than 700,000 people are now protected from malaria. Source: USAID/Rwanda

"There are now fewer mosquitoes in the house," explained Kyankazi. "Since the house was sprayed no one has been sick."

As of October 2007, the PMI-supported IRS campaign exceeded its initial target of spraying 145,000 households. More than 150,000 homes were sprayed, and more than 700,000 people are now protected from malaria.