Customers at hair salons in Kigali and other Rwandan cities are calling for regular health checks for barbers, saying respiratory infections could spread when workers cut hair without masks.
They want health authorities to consider screening barbers at least once every three months. They also say salons should take practical steps to reduce risks, including asking people who are coughing to wear masks and keeping doors and windows open where possible.
Mukanzaramba, a resident of Kimisagara, said the presence of children in salons made the issue more concerning.
“Children’s immune systems are not yet strong. A barber with an infectious illness could put them at risk,” she said.
She added that children who are already vulnerable to flu could face more serious consequences if exposed to illnesses such as tuberculosis.
Tuberculosis is among the diseases that can spread through the air. A cough lasting two weeks or more, particularly one accompanied by phlegm, is a reason to seek medical advice and testing, health guidance says. Poor nutrition and other health conditions can also increase a person’s vulnerability to TB.
Some barbers said they had never been asked to undergo screening for respiratory or skin diseases. Manzi, who works in Kimisagara, said no customer or employer had raised the issue with him.
Byiringiro Ismaël, another barber in the area, said he would attend screening if it were required. He suggested that information could be shared through community meetings or umuganda.
“You may suspect you have tuberculosis, but you are advised to seek testing if you have been coughing for two weeks,” he said. “If a barber has flu, they should wear a mask, just like anyone else.”
Byiringiro said it could be difficult for individual barbers to arrange and pay for regular tests, while salon owners might also be reluctant to cover the cost. He added that barbers could not always tell whether a customer was ill unless the person was coughing heavily.
Customers said they often choose salons based on cleanliness and how well the premises are maintained. Mukiza Junior, a clothes seller at Kimisagara Market, said seeing a barber cough repeatedly could make him leave.
“I expect the place to be well organised and clean. If a barber is coughing a lot or appears to have a respiratory problem, I worry about getting infected,” he said.
A motorcycle taxi operator, who asked not to be named, said a cough alone could not reveal what illness someone had, but basic precautions were still important.
“You cannot know what disease someone has just by looking at them. But someone who is coughing a lot should wear a mask, and salons should keep their windows and doors open,” he said. “The difficulty is when it is raining.”
RBC’s tuberculosis control programme did not respond to a request for comment.
Rwanda’s tuberculosis rate was about 62 cases per 100,000 people in 2024, down from 238 per 100,000 in 2000, according to figures cited by the Rwanda Biomedical Centre. The centre says this is the lowest rate in East Africa. Deaths from TB also fell, from 77 per 100,000 people in 2000 to 3.4 per 100,000 in 2024.
During the 2024/2025 financial year, Rwanda recorded 8,196 TB patients, including 48 with rifampicin-resistant or multidrug-resistant tuberculosis. About 90 per cent of patients treated for ordinary TB that year completed their treatment successfully.
Community health workers have helped encourage people with persistent coughs to seek testing. The Ministry of Health says they referred 27.2 per cent of all identified TB patients for screening. TB treatment is provided free of charge.
