In 1997, five-year-old Benjamin Niyibizi from Burera district in Rwanda’s Northern Province contracted polio, a life-changing virus that left him permanently disabled.

In the 1990s, it was not uncommon to see children wearing orthopedic casts on their legs or receiving traditional treatments for disabilities caused by polio. Like many other developing countries around the world, Rwanda struggled with health system problems, hampering vaccination efforts that could have protected children from the crippling virus.

The country’s routine vaccination programme began in 1980, but its effectiveness has been hampered by a number of problems, the most important of which was political instability, which culminated in the genocide against the Tutsi in 1994.

This instability continued until 1997. The conflict had spread from the northern parts of the country to what was then Zaire. Access to essential services, including vaccinations, remained limited, particularly in the north. As a result, children like Niyibizi contracted polio.

The political candidate

When Niyibizi became ill, his parents initially thought it was another disease. But the disease soon progressed to the point where he could no longer move and his mother had to carry him like a small child. His right leg was particularly affected, resulting in a permanent disability.

“For some, getting vaccinated was difficult for a variety of reasons,” explains Niyibizi. “For example, in areas near Kinigi (a remote, hilly area in northern Rwanda), it was difficult because of the civil war. In addition, it was difficult for some people who lived far from health centers to get their children vaccinated.”

Because of his disability, he started school late and was not enrolled in primary school until he was ten years old. Years later, he graduated from the University of Rwanda with a Bachelor’s degree in Economics.

Today, he is one of the young people determined to play a leading role in Rwanda’s development. He ran for a seat in parliament for the first time in the 2024 elections, but his candidacy was unsuccessful.

As someone who has been affected by a vaccine-preventable disease himself, he stresses the crucial role of vaccination for children. “Immunization protects children from epidemics. Polio is no longer a threat in Rwanda thanks to vaccination. Vaccines have stopped many epidemic diseases,” he says.

The biomedical laboratory employee

Niyibizi’s story is similar to that of Annoncee Nyirangarukiyintwari, who contracted polio at the age of four. Born to Rwandan parents in Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of Congo) in 1986, she had no access to vaccines and eventually contracted polio. “My parents had tried for days to get me vaccinated, but they couldn’t,” she recalls.

Her illness began with a high fever. Her symptoms were treated with “normal medicine,” but her condition worsened. “After about two months, my legs became weak. A doctor finally diagnosed polio,” she says.

Nyirangarukiyintwari now uses crutches to walk as she is disabled in both legs.

She returned to Rwanda as a young girl in 1994, completed her education and obtained a degree in biomedical laboratory science. She now works in the laboratory at Nyarugenge District Hospital.

Reflecting on her experiences, she emphasizes the importance of vaccinations. “Vaccines have reduced the number of many diseases. Children no longer suffer from as many diseases,” she states simply.

“Rwandans understand the benefits of vaccines”

Thanks to effective vaccination campaigns, polio has been free of Rwanda for over 30 years.

Hassan Sibomana, acting head of maternal, child and community health at the Rwanda Biomedical Centre (RBC), stresses that vaccines have helped reduce polio cases by over 99%.

“Rwandans know the benefits of vaccinations and trust the government’s health care,” he says. “When the measles vaccine became available, the disease rate dropped significantly. Likewise, new vaccines against pneumonia and diarrhea have significantly reduced these diseases in young children,” he notes.

Rwanda’s routine immunization program has been expanded to include new vaccines to ensure high response among the population. “We have achieved a high vaccination rate. According to the DHS (Rwanda Demographic and Health Survey) 2020, up to 95.6% of children have received all basic vaccinations,” says Sibomana.

In response to polio outbreaks in neighboring countries, Rwanda launched a new vaccination campaign against polio type 2 for all children under seven in 2023.

The campaign achieved over 95% coverage, with 1.7 million children vaccinated. The campaign’s success was due to the tireless efforts of Community Health Workers (CHWs) who raised awareness and visited households to ensure that children received the vital polio vaccine drops.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 14,424 trained CHWs participated in the campaign, supported by teams from health centers and district hospitals.

Sibomana says when Rwanda’s immunization program began in the 1980s, six antigens were administered, including BCG, polio vaccine, DPT (diphtheria, pertussis and tetanus vaccine) and the measles vaccine. Since then, however, the program has expanded greatly and now offers more than a dozen antigens.