Although no year is exactly the same and the numbers vary, a report by the National Institute of Statistics of Rwanda shows that more than 42,000 people have contracted tuberculosis over the past six years.
The report indicates that from 2019 to 2024, a total of 42,103 people were infected with tuberculosis (TB).
Tuberculosis is a disease caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium tuberculosis, also known as Bacillus Koch. It is mainly transmitted through the air.
The bacteria can be present in saliva droplets, in the air people breathe, and in cough particles, meaning that being close to an infected person increases the risk of transmission.
Statistics show that in 2019, there were 5,950 TB cases. In 2020, the number dropped to 5,592, and in 2021 it further declined to 5,283.
However, in 2022 the number increased to 7,125, followed by 9,512 cases in 2023, before decreasing slightly to 8,641 cases in 2024.
The report also reveals that among the patients recorded during this period, 339 had multidrug-resistant tuberculosis, while 5,807 patients were also living with HIV/AIDS.
Additionally, the statistics indicate that 660 patients in the past seven years developed complications or failed treatment due to not adhering properly to their medication.
Regarding mortality, 6.1% of TB patients died in 2019, rising slightly to 6.4% in 2020, and 7.9% in 2021. However, the death rate later declined to 5.7% in 2022, 4.8% in 2023, and 4.5% in 2024.
Currently, the Rwanda Biomedical Centre, through its tuberculosis control program, has deployed chest X-ray machines used particularly for screening people living with HIV. In addition, 69 GeneXpert machines have been installed in hospitals across the country to test for tuberculosis and determine whether standard TB medications remain effective.
