Understanding Wetlands Reclamation and Soil-Transmitted Helminths and Schistosomiasis Incidence Patterns in Rwanda (2001-2012)
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UNDERSTANDING WETLANDS RECLAMATION AND SOIL-TRANSMITTED HELMINTHS AND SCHISTOSOMIASIS INCIDENCE PATTERNS IN RWANDA (2001-2012) Elias NYANDWI Graduation committee: Chairman/secretary Dean ITC Supervisor Prof.dr.ir. A. Veldkamp University of Twente Co-supervisor Dr. S. Amer University of Twente Members Prof.dr.ir. A. Stein University of Twente Prof.dr. M.J. IJzerman University of Twente Prof.dr. T. Dawson King’s College London, UK Dr. P. Vounatsou Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Switzerland ITC dissertation number 311 ITC, P.O. Box 217, 7500 AE Enschede, The Netherlands ISBN 978-90-365-4410‐8 DOI 10.3990/1.9789036544108 https://doi.org/10.3990/1.9789036544108 Cover designed by Benno Masseplink Printed by ITC Printing Department Copyright © 2017 by Elias NYANDWI UNDERSTANDING WETLAND RECLAMATION AND SOIL-TRANSMITTED HELMINTHS AND SCHISTOSOMIASIS INCIDENCE PATTERNS IN RWANDA (2001 – 2012). DISSERTATION to obtain the degree of doctor at the University of Twente, on the authority of the rector magnificus, prof. dr. T.T.M. Palstra, on account of the decision of the graduation committee, to be publicly defended on Thursday 19th October 2017 at 16:45 hrs by Elias NYANDWI born on 5th July 1971 in Ruhango, Rwanda This thesis has been approved by Prof.dr.ir. A. Veldkamp, Supervisor Dr. S. Amer, Co-supervisor Dedicated to my Family Acknowledgements First of all, I would like to express my eternal gratitude to the Almighty God for the extent to which he has enabled me to reach this time alive and to carry out this research. I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the institutions and individuals, who, in my PhD journey have played an important part towards to the end of this thesis. Please allow me to present my sincere acknowledgments and thanks to the Government of Netherlands through the Netherlands Initiative for Capacity Development in Higher Education under the project NICHE/RWA/071 for financial support provided for this study. To the University of Rwanda (my employer) for facilitating to pursue studies. We thank the Rwandan Ministry of Health through the Rwanda Biomedical Centre for providing epidemiological data and technical support. We are equally thankful to the Rwanda Meteorological Centre, Rwanda Natural Resources Authority, Rwanda Environmental Management Authority and National Institute of Statistics of Rwanda for providing useful data and information for this research. My deepest appreciations and heartfelt thanks go to Professor Tom Veldkamp, my Promoter, for his excellent advice, guidance, and encouragements. I remember discussing with you, aside from your heavy agenda during your short stay Rwanda, one page, and undecided concept note, and you helped me to sharpen my ideas that eventually led to the present research. From your constructive critiques, your insightful discussion, suggestions and timely feedback, I learned a lot from both my research and career. I would also like to thank my Supervisor Dr. Sherif Amer for your excellent supervision, your enthusiasm, and motivation. You have been supportive during difficult times of my PhD journey. To you both Prof Tom and Dr. Sherif I will ever keep good memories of how you skilfully assisted when my laptop was stolen and lost more than a year of my PhD work. My gratitude extends to the Faculty of Geo-Information Science and Earth Observation of the University of Twente for creating a multicultural and multi-disciplinary environment excellent as a learning environment. I am very grateful to Dr. Frank Badu Osei. You have been there whenever I needed you, regardless your heavily loaded schedule in a new working position. I will be ever grateful for your contribution in spatial statistical approach and tools for health. Many thanks go to Loes Colenbrander, Petra Weber, Marion Pierik, Saskia and other staff members of the different departments - Library, ITC Hotel, Student Affairs Office, travel unit, help desk and communication for your efforts right from my study registration until the thesis compilation and i layout. I can’t thank you enough for your onsite and remote support in handling various issues which made my stay at ITC pleasant. I am very grateful to all those who made valuable contributions during my stay in Netherlands, fieldwork in Rwanda and somewhere else during scientific conferences and seminars participation: Dr Irenée Umulisa (RBC/M&OPD Department); the International Society of Geospatial Health which I knew and adhered to during my PhD journey; Prof Arnaud Temme (of Wageningen University – Soil and Landscape Group). Thanks to fellow PhD Students Alphonse, Adrie, Marie Christine, Clarisse, Prosper, Vestine, Alice, John, Matthew, Ibrahim, Festus, Omar, Kapongola, Katomero, Tsega, Ullah, Yusof, Vincent, Zaid. To my officemates Divyani and Rashidi, I owe you special thanks. You have been supportive and encouraging. I would like also to acknowledge support from the family of Vincent Briac & Anne Sonet, Olivier Nzamuye, Claudine and others families and friends at Enschede, Netherlands, and Belgium. My profound appreciations to the Rwandese Master's students between 2012- 2016 with whom we shared time in Enschede. Many thanks to Frodouald, Haguma, Alphonse K., Theodomir, Mireille, Felicien, Herve, Joseph, Sylvain, Potel, Guillaume, Francois, Emmanuel I., Gilbert, Appolonie, Ignace, Marc, Fred, Dominique, Maurice, Jean Maurice, Eric, Honoré, Providence, Jean Baptiste, Marceline, Aline, Ahmed, Crispin, Janvier, Innocent, Adeline, Aphrodis, Oscar, Emmanuel N., Celestin and Chantal. My academic destiny began on that first day in primary school. I dedicated this work to my late parents, to my brothers and sisters, extended family members and friends for your support. Without listing all the names please accept my sincere thanks for your prayers. My special thanks and gratitude are due to my lovely wife Ida Nibamuhoze, and my sons Ndinda Vertex Noûr and Ndaje Brave Naïmu. I am highly indebted to you for approving doing my PhD by foregoing the right to be cared by a husband and father, muri Intashyikirwa. I am delighted to dedicate this work to you. ii Table of contents ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ....................................................................... I TABLE OF CONTENTS ....................................................................... III LIST OF FIGURES ............................................................................... V LIST OF TABLES ............................................................................ VIII CHAPTER 1: GENERAL INTRODUCTION .............................................. 1 1.1 BACKGROUND ............................................................................2 1.2 WHY UNDERSTANDING THE ASSOCIATION BETWEEN WETLAND ENVIRONMENT AND THE SPATIAL AND TEMPORAL DISTRIBUTION OF SCHISTOSOMIASIS AND STHS? .............7 1.3 OBJECTIVES OF THE THESIS ............................................................9 1.4 DESCRIPTION OF STUDY AREA AND USED DATA ..................................... 10 1.5 OUTLINE OF THE THESIS .............................................................. 12 CHAPTER 2: REGIONAL CLIMATE SENSITIVITY OF WETLAND ENVIRONMENTS IN RWANDA: THE NEED FOR A LOCATION-SPECIFIC APPROACH ....................................................................................... 15 ABSTRACT ........................................................................................ 16 2.1 INTRODUCTION ........................................................................ 17 2.2 MATERIALS AND METHODS ........................................................... 18 2.3 RESULTS ............................................................................... 24 2.4 DISCUSSION ........................................................................... 35 2.5 CONCLUSION ........................................................................... 38 CHAPTER 3: SCHISTOSOMIASIS MANSONI INCIDENCE DATA IN RWANDA CAN IMPROVE PREVALENCE ASSESSMENTS, BY PROVIDING HIGH-RESOLUTION HOTSPOT AND RISK FACTORS IDENTIFICATION ............................................................................. 41 ABSTRACT ........................................................................................ 42 3.1 INTRODUCTION ........................................................................ 43 3.2 MATERIALS AND METHODS ............................................................ 45 3.3 RESULTS ............................................................................... 52 3.4 DISCUSSION ........................................................................... 56 3.5 CONCLUSION ........................................................................... 60 CHAPTER 4: SPATIAL PATTERNS OF SOIL-TRANSMITTED HELMINTH INFECTIONS AND ASSOCIATED ENVIRONMENTAL RISK FACTORS IN RWANDA 2007-2008. ....................................................................... 61 ABSTRACT ........................................................................................ 62 4.1 INTRODUCTION ........................................................................ 63 4.2 MATERIALS AND METHODS ............................................................ 64 4.3 RESULTS ............................................................................... 68 4.4 DISCUSSION ........................................................................... 74 4.5 CONCLUSION ........................................................................... 77 CHAPTER 5: SPATIO-TEMPORAL DYNAMICS OF SCHISTOSOMIASIS IN RWANDA BETWEEN 2001 AND 2012: IMPACT OF THE NATIONAL