Intensify fight against bilharzia and intestinal worms

Lazarus Sauti

Bilharzia, a disease in humans that is caused by Schistosomes, parasitic worms – and intestinal worms are tropical diseases that undermine the Southern African Development Community’s (SADC) social and economic development as they carry serious health impacts.

These diseases, according to the World Health Organisation – a specialised agency of the United Nations (UN) that is concerned with international published health, are afflicting the people of Africa as 200 million people are already infected, of which 5 per cent live in Africa.

In Mozambique, for instance, the WHO, earlier this year estimated that over 18 million people were affected by bilharzia and intestinal worms, an amount of up to four out of five people infected.

Recently, over three million young people were at risk of bilharzia and intestinal infections in Zimbabwe.

Basing on a national survey carried in 2010 on bilharzia and intestinal worms, the Ministry of Health and Child Care (MoHCC) said bilharzia and intestinal worms are prevalent in many provinces.

“We did a national survey in 2010 on bilharzia and intestinal worms which told us that 57 of the 63 districts in the country had a burden of bilharzia, 31 of the districts had a problem of intestinal worms while 44 had a burden of both diseases which, if untreated, could cause infertility and other health complications,” said MoHCC epidemiology and disease control director, Portia Manangazira.

Mozambique and Zimbabwe are not the only countries affected in the region as some cases were reported in some provinces of Zambia, Malawi and Namibia.

Although being in existence for a long time, people suffering from these diseases have been neglected.

SADC countries, therefore, need to embrace holistic approaches such as educational strategies as well as provision of proper sanitation to ensure that less people, especially children are affected by bilharzia and intestinal worms.

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) – a UN programme that provides long-term humanitarian and developmental assistance to children and mothers in developing countries, notes that educational programmes, adequate water supplies and proper sanitation could reduce infection rates by 77 per cent.

“To ensure proper sanitation and end bilharzia as well as intestinal worms, SADC member-states must ensure that every homestead have a clean usable toilet. Every man, woman and child in the world deserves the dignity of a safe, hygienic toilet,” noted the UNICEF.

The WHO also says the control of bilharzia and intestinal worms should be based on large-scale treatment of at-risk population groups, access to safe water, improved sanitation, hygiene education and snail control.

“Control of bilharzia and intestinal worms should strongly be based on large scale treatment of at-risk population groups, and to effectively deal with this group as well as to improve sanitation and hygiene in Southern Africa, people should be urged to avoid urinating in near or direct water, streams, ponds or dams,” said the WHO.

Schistosomiasis Control Initiative (SCI), an initiative that helps governments in African countries treat schistosomiasis, one of the most common neglected tropical diseases (NTDs), caused by parasitic worms, agrees: “People should always use toilets when urinating or defecating.

“They should avoid using the ground (bush toilets) to avoid contamination of the environment (land, water, air and food),” said the WHO.

The SCI added that citizens should always drink water from protected sources.

“Water is essential for life. Clean water is crucial for environmental and human health. As such, government sectors in Africa must provide citizens with quality water from protected sources if the continent is to fight water borne diseases,” noted the SCI.

The United States (US) Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) – the leading national public health institute of the United States, says financial support is crucial to ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages.

“Investing in neglected tropical diseases such as bilharzia and intestinal worms is crucial to enhance access to quality essential care services, and access to safe, effective, quality and affordable essential medicines and vaccines for all,” explained the CDC.

It added that investments should support research and development of vaccines and medicines for neglected tropical diseases that primarily affected developing countries.

Zimbabwe’s Minister of Health and Child Care, Dr David Parirenyatwa urges private partners to support governments by increasing substantially health financing as well as strengthening the capacity of all countries for early warnings, risk reduction and management of health risks.

“Most countries in the region are crippled financially and they have not been able to reach out to most people. This calls for public and private sector players to support governments in fighting bilharzia and intestinal worms,” Dr Parirenyatwa said.

Recognising that poor sanitation in Africa undermines the continent’s social and economic development and has serious health impacts on the population, African ministers responsible for sanitation and hygiene recently pledge to end open defecation by 2030.

This is a necessary step towards zero bilharzia and parasitic worms.

African leaders, however, need to support the move, re-evaluate priorities and fast-track progress on sanitation so as to eliminate open defecation, fight bilharzia as well as intestinal worms and bring better health and dignity to their citizens.

These are ambitious commitments, but with political will and financial commitments, they are achievable.