In 2024, malaria cases rose by more than 45 per cent in one year, reaching 620,000. Rwanda had previously opted out of receiving malaria vaccines during the first phase of distribution by the World Health Organization (WHO) and GAVI in 2023, confident in its consistent progress in reducing malaria over the last decade. “It’s the first time we have experienced an increase in malaria cases in Rwanda since 2016,” he said. He said between January and October 2024, the country recorded 620,000 malaria cases, an increase of nearly 200,000 compared to the same period in 2023. To combat drug resistance, Rwanda has started using alternative treatments.