The aim of this study was to assess the association between HIV infection and cancer risk in Rwanda approximately a decade after the introduction of antiretroviral therapy (cART). All persons seeking cancer care at Butaro Cancer Center of Excellence (BCCOE) in Rwanda from 2012 to 2016 were routinely screened for HIV, prior to being confirmed with or without cancer (cases and controls, respectively). Cases were coded according to ICD‐O‐3 and converted to ICD10. Associations between individual cancer types and HIV were estimated using adjusted unconditional logistic regression. 2,656 cases and 1,196 controls differed by gender (80.3% vs. 70.8% female), age (mean 45.5 vs. 37.7 years), place of residence and proportion of diagnoses made by histopathology (87.5% vs. 67.4%). After adjustment for these variables, HIV was significantly associated with Kaposi Sarcoma (n = 60; OR = 110.3, 95%CI 46.8–259.6), non‐Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) (n = 265; OR = 2.5, 1.4–4.6), Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) (n = 76; OR = 5.2, 2.3–11.6) and cancers of the cervix (n = 560; OR = 5.9, 3.8–9.2), vulva (n = 23; OR = 17.8, 6.3–50.1), penis (n = 29; OR = 8.3, 2.5–27.4) and eye (n = 17; OR = 4.7, 1.0–25.0). Associations varied by NHL/HL subtype, with that for NHL being limited to DLBCL (n = 56; OR = 6.6, 3.1–14.1), particularly plasmablastic lymphoma (n = 6, OR = 106, 12.1–921). No significant associations were seen with other commonly diagnosed cancers, including female breast cancer (n = 559), head and neck (n = 116) and colorectal cancer (n = 106). In conclusion, in the era of cART in Rwanda, HIV is associated with increased risk of a range of infection‐related cancers, and accounts for an important fraction of cancers presenting to a referral hospital.

Background: Preterm birth (PTB) is a leading cause of early childhood mortality and morbidity, including long-term physical and mental impairment. The risk factors for PTB are complex and include maternal nutritional status and infections. This study aimed to identify potentially modifiable risk factors for targeted interventions to reduce the occurrence of PTB in Rwanda. Methods: We conducted a prospective, longitudinal cohort study of healthy pregnant women aged 18 to 49 years. Women at 9-15 gestational weeks were recruited from 10 health centers in Gasabo District, Kigali Province between September and October 2017. Pregnancy age was estimated using ultrasonography and date of last menstruation. Anthropometric and laboratory measurements were performed using standard procedures for both mothers and newborns. Surveys were administered to assess demographic and health histories. Categorical and continuous variables were depicted as proportions and means, respectively. Variables with p < 0.25 in bivariate analyses were included in multivariable logistic regression models to determine independent predictors of PTB. The results were reported as odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CI), with statistical significance set at p < 0.05. Results: Among 367 participants who delivered at a mean of 38.0 ± 2.2 gestational weeks, the overall PTB rate was 10.1%. After adjusting for potential confounders, we identified the following independent risk factors for PTB: anemia (hemoglobin < 11 g/dl) (OR: 4.27; 95%CI: 1.85-9.85), urinary tract infection (UTI) (OR:9.82; 95%CI: 3.88-24.83), chlamydia infection (OR: 2.79; 95%CI: 1.17-6.63), inadequate minimum dietary diversity for women (MDD-W) score (OR:3.94; CI: 1.57-9.91) and low mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC) < 23 cm (OR: 3.12, 95%CI; 1.31-7.43). indicators of nutritional inadequacy (low MDD-W and MUAC) predicted risk for low birth weight (LBW) but only UTI was associated with LBW in contrast with PTB.

Stunted linear growth continues to be a public health problem that overwhelms the entire world and, particularly, developing countries. Despite several interventions designed and implemented to reduce stunting, the rate of 33.1% is still high for the proposed target of 19% in 2024. This study investigated the prevalence and associated factors of stunting among children aged 6–23 months from poor households in Rwanda. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 817 mother–child dyads (two individuals from one home) living in low-income families in five districts with a high prevalence of stunting. Descriptive statistics were used to determine the prevalence of stunting. In addition, we used bivariate analysis and a multivariate logistic regression model to measure the strength of the association between childhood stunting and exposure variables. The prevalence of stunting was 34.1%. Children from households without a vegetable garden (AOR = 2.165, p-value < 0.01), children aged 19–23 months (AOR = 4.410, p-value = 0.01), and children aged 13–18 months (AOR = 2.788, p-value = 0.08) showed increased likelihood of stunting. On the other hand, children whose mothers were not exposed to physical violence (AOR = 0.145, p-value < 0.001), those whose fathers were working (AOR = 0.036, p-value = 0.001), those whose parents were both working (AOR = 0.208, p-value = 0.029), and children whose mothers demonstrated good hand washing practice (AOR = 0.181, p-value < 0.001) were less likely to be stunted. Our findings underscore the importance of integrating the promotion of handwashing practices, owning vegetable gardens, and intimate partner violence prevention in the interventions to fight child stunting.

Background Nursing is widely known as a stressful profession but intensive care unit is the most stressful; when nurses fail to cope with workplace, stresses’ complications such as burnout and depression ensue, and this can compromise the quality of nursing care. In Rwanda, there is a limited literature about workplace stress and coping strategies. Research objectives To assess the workplace stress and coping strategies of intensive care unit nurses at University Teaching Hospitals. Methodology This study used a cross-sectional study design, recruited 92 ICU nurses through the census sampling method; ENSS and Brief COPE Inventory, while SPSS was used for data analysis.  Results Eighty percent experienced moderate to high stress, while 19.6% had low stress. Married nurses tend to experience high stress than singles, while those with Bachelors or Master’s degree were less likely to be stressed. Main stressors are care for suffering/dying, or agitated patients; and heavy workload, while main coping strategies were alcohol use, emotion support from friends and religion comfort. Conclusions Nurses experience workplace stress, while workplace stressors are nursing care for suffering/dying or agitated patients and heavy workload. The coping strategies were alcohol use, emotional support and comfort from religion. Rwanda J Med Health Sci 2021;4(1):53-71