Before the creation of Rwanda’s neglected tropical disease program in 2007, there had been little research on two debilitating parasites running rampant throughout the country: intestinal worms and schistosomiasis. But in 2019, the Rwandan government began financing 100% of the operational costs related to mass treatment campaigns that have successfully curtailed these parasitic infections.

Through Rwanda’s continued investment, schistosomiasis has reached a threshold of elimination as a public health problem, meaning prevalence has been reduced to below 1 percent of heavy intensity infections in 97 percent of surveyed villages according to remapping in 2020. This outcome follows years of effective treatment campaigns that were the result of Rwanda’s steadfast commitment to elimination.