The Burden of Neglected Tropical Diseases in Rwanda: A Scoping Review

Rwanda is among the African countries affected by neglected tropical diseases (NTDs). This scoping review aims to synthesize available information to understand the prevalence, incidence, distribution, morbidity, mortality, and risk factors of NTDs in Rwanda.

Between February and March 2024, we searched PubMed, Web of Science, and Google Scholar databases and grey literature for NTDs articles published between January 1, 1980 and January 31, 2024. Articles were screened following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Extension for Scoping Review. Relevant data were extracted into Microsoft Word for narrative synthesis.

The search retrieved 2808 articles and 103 were included in this review. Country-wide prevalence studies were conducted for schistosomiasis, soil-transmitted helminthiasis (STHs), and podoconiosis. These studies were mostly cross-sectional. Prevalences ranged from 0%-77.9%, 0%- 92.9%, 0%-4.88%, 0.04%_-29.9%, 0.05%-15.3%, and 2%-5% for schistosomiasis, STHs, taeniasis, scabies, trachoma, and onchocerciasis, respectively. Pilot studies on tungiasis and cysticercosis recorded 23% and 13.3% prevalence. Approximately 68.5 per 100,000 people had podoconiosis, and 0.8% of lymphedema cases had lymphatic filariasis. Schistosomiasis, podoconiosis, and STHs were widespread but with varying district endemicity. Mycetoma, leprosy, and rabies lacked geographic distribution profile data while snakebite envenoming data were scarce. Human African trypanosomiasis (HAT) was not reported in the country from 1990 to 2022. Morbidity was recorded for all the 13 NTDs but reports on mortality were erratic. Cross-cutting risk factors for some NTDs included socio-demographic, behavioural, environmental, health-related, water, sanitation, and hygiene. Gaps exist for risk factors of HAT, mycetoma, rabies, onchocerciasis, lymphatic filariasis, and snakebites.

Gaps exist for data on country-wide mapping to understand the burden of some NTDs in Rwanda. Such data is vital for implementing national-level interventions to achieve NTD elimination or control targets by 2030.