Environmental Parasitic Disease Affecting the Health Status in Rwanda

Public Health Epidemiology, Walden University, Minneapolis, MN

Abstract

The analysis gleaned from Rwanda’s history following the 1994 genocide to the post-war aftermath has provided the ability to examine the improvements in life expectancy, health care, and social disparities within this country. The following paper describes Rwanda’s environmental and social health determinants, examines health literacy, and evaluates the inequalities within this country. Understanding the multiple influences surrounding the ecological living conditions that lead to tungiasis was pursued to reduce the prevalence of the parasitic disease. Policies should be established to enhance better environmental living conditions so Rwandan citizens can overcome several health barriers. Low socioeconomic status is associated with impoverished housing conditions and unhygienic living environments. Poor housing conditions, elevated indoor relative humidity levels, and unhygienic living environments expose Rwandan citizens to bacterial, viral, and parasitic risks. Therefore, examinations of peer-reviewed scholarly articles assist with determining the efforts used through governmental policies and programs to reduce health disparities in Rwanda. Finally, developing policies can help reduce exposure to a prevalent parasitic disease affecting many Rwandan individuals. Rwanda has many obstacles to reducing exposure to tungiasis, like managing healthy living environments, large city populations, access to quality sanitation systems, contaminated water, and funding for improved water treatment. Approximately 23% of the participants in three primary schools acquired tungiasis by walking barefoot in the sand, with unclean feet, in poor living environments, with elevated relative humidity levels, and in impoverished housing with dirt floors [5 & 12]. Aligned with overcoming Rwandans' barriers, tungiasis can be reduced and eliminated through paved concrete floors in residential housing, controlling indoor atmospheric conditions, education on tungiasis, knowledge of proper hygiene, environmental remedies, social policy reformation, and cultural modifications. In conclusion, goals should be established to create social change to protect at-risk Rwandan citizens from exposure to Tungiasis, especially school children.