The cries of newborns often mingle with the breath of the cold wind from the high Rwandan hills. In this situation, babies are wrapped in thin, often worn blankets to protect them from a silent but formidable danger: the cold.
In Rwanda, nights can be particularly frigid, especially in mountainous districts like Musanze, Burera, Nyabihu, and Rutsiro. While the cold may seem harmless to adults, it can be fatal for infants, whose body temperature drops rapidly, leading to serious medical complications.
At the hospital in Shyira, in the Nyabihu district, Nzayisenga, a young mother of 23, still remembers the fear that overwhelmed her a few hours after giving birth.
“ It was very cold that night. I noticed that my baby was trembling, his skin was turning blue. I thought he was going to die. The nurse ran to get a heat lamp, but it wasn’t working ,” she says, tears in her eyes.
Nzayisenga is not an isolated case. In several rural health facilities, power outages, lack of thermal blankets and absence of suitable equipment expose newborns to cases of extreme cold, known as neonatal hypothermia.
According to medical staff, some babies die within the first 24 hours simply because their body temperature could not be stabilized.
At Kibogora Hospital in the Nyamasheke district, a nurse interviewed by Umuringa News on condition of anonymity testified: “ We only have two heat lamps for the entire maternity ward. When several women give birth at the same time, we have to improvise: we ask the mothers to hold the babies against their skin, what we call ‘skin-to-skin contact.’ It’s effective, but not enough .”
This direct contact, known as Kangaroo Care, allows the infant’s temperature to be regulated by the mother’s body heat. Although recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO), this method does not replace a heated environment, especially in areas where the temperature drops below 10°C.
The cold kills more people than we think.
Dr. Jean Bosco, a pediatrician, states that neonatal hypothermia is one of the silent causes of infant mortality.
“ A newborn loses heat four times faster than an adult. If its temperature drops below 36°C, its organs begin to slow down: the heart beats more slowly, breathing becomes difficult and the risk of infection increases ,” he explains.
According to Dr. Jean Bosco, the majority of deaths related to the cold are preventable: “ All it takes is a little equipment such as heat lamps, thermal blankets or even suitable clothing .”
While programs to combat malnutrition and childhood infections are progressing, the cold remains a silent enemy for Rwandan newborns.
A danger that is often ignored, invisible, but just as deadly.
Dr. Jean Bosco concludes: “ We talk a lot about vaccines and nutrition, but very little about temperature. Yet, keeping a baby warm is giving them the first condition for life .”
WITH NIKUZE NKUSI Diane
