Rwanda’s malaria incidence declined to 72 cases per 1,000 people during the 2025–2026 malaria season, down from 76 cases per 1,000 recorded the previous year, as health authorities intensified interventions in districts and sectors with the highest burden.
Despite the decline, the latest incidence remains significantly higher than the 45 cases per 1,000 people recorded in the 2023–2024 season, highlighting the continued challenge of controlling malaria amid changing environmental and epidemiological conditions.
According to health authorities, malaria cases reached a peak of 168,235 in November 2025 before falling steadily to 28,127 cases in June 2026.
Between January and August 2026, Ngoma District recorded the highest number of reported malaria cases at 38,081, followed by Gasabo District with 37,452 cases and Kayonza with 28,298 cases.
The government is using a targeted approach to direct malaria prevention resources to areas experiencing the highest transmission rates.
Sectors recording more than 100 malaria cases per 1,000 people are prioritised for indoor residual spraying, a measure designed to kill mosquitoes that come into contact with treated walls.
Meanwhile, areas recording between 30 and 99 cases per 1,000 people are targeted with the distribution of insecticide-treated mosquito nets to strengthen household-level protection.
Health authorities are also rotating malaria treatment medicines as part of efforts to delay the development and spread of drug resistance.
Another strategy involves household testing, where health workers screen people living in households where a malaria infection has been confirmed in an effort to identify additional infections that may otherwise go undetected.
However, several factors continue to complicate malaria control efforts.
Health officials are facing increasing insecticide resistance and signs of partial drug resistance, while prolonged rainfall has created favourable conditions for mosquito breeding.
Human activities, including mining, rice farming and construction, can also create stagnant-water breeding sites, further increasing the risk of transmission in affected communities.
The decline from 76 to 72 cases per 1,000 people represents progress compared with the previous malaria season, but the gap with the 45 cases per 1,000 recorded in 2023–2024 shows that sustained and targeted interventions remain necessary to bring transmission down further.
