Malaria affecting over one million children a year

The incidence of malaria in Rwanda is increasing, and more than a million children under five now contract the disease each year, a Rwandan health official has warned. Another group of people particularly prone to the effects of malaria were child-bearing women, who mostly confused it with pregnancy symptoms, Rwanda News Agency (RNA) quoted Vianney Nizeyimana, head of Biostatistics, as saying. “The increase of malaria cases throughout the country is brought about by the fact that the disease is resistant to some drugs like chloroquine, hence rendering it chronic in some people,” Nizeyimana added. Malaria has affected over 1.9 million people a year for the past two years, RNA added. Scientists have also linked the increased incidence of malaria with global warming.