Silicosis Prevalence and Related Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices Among Mine Workers in Rural Rwanda

Based on the clinical experience of the investigators and their network, silicosis morbidity and mortality have been consistently encountered among Rwandans with dust and mining exposure, however Rwanda currently lacks an existing body of data on current silicosis prevalence and a surveillance system for ongoing monitoring and interventions. According to the WHO, disease surveillance programs should include periodic identification and collection of health information, evaluation and interpretation of the information, and reporting and interventions for the purpose of prevention. The goal of surveillance is to monitor the trends in disease incidence over time across a particular domain, define the magnitude or relative magnitude of a problem and target and evaluate interventions. Here, the investigators propose a study of silicosis-related data from mine workers in Rwanda's Eastern Province through the development of a silicosis surveillance and health education program at Rwinkwavu District Hospital.

Methodology:

Study setting:

This study will be conducted in four sectors (Rwinkwavu, Murama, Ruramira, and Mwiri) of Kayonza district in eastern Rwanda. There are 9 [Migera, Gihinga, Nyarunazi, Gahengeli, Gashushyi, Rutonde, Raveri, Bugambira, Rukira] mining sites in Rwinkwavu, Murama, Ruramira and Mwiri, and all mining activities in these sites are supervised by Wolfram Mining and Processing LTD. All these sectors are located in the Rwinkwavu District Hospital catchment area.

Study design: