15 Mar 2022

Mass administration of bilharzia drug, prazinguantel which started on March 14 will end on March 25 in the entire Chobe district.

Speaking during the Chobe District Health Management Team (DHMT) launch on Monday at Kasane Primary school, Ms Emang Mosweu said the bilharzia drug will be given to all the children aged between five and 14 years, out of school and school going.

The Principal Education Officer said the campaign would include both government and private schools learners. She said bilharzia was one the Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTD) that existed worldwide and more particularly in middle to low economic countries. Ms Mosweu said NTD are a group of preventable and treatable disease that affected 15 billion people worldwide and 40 per cent of them live in Africa.

The Principal Education Officer explained that locally, bilharzia has been a public health problem in Chobe and Ngami districts till a control based treatment of infected people in 1985 and 1993, which saw the disease reducing from 28.7 per cent to 6.7 per cent.

She said the prevalence rates fluctuate depending on rainfall and have been as high as 80 per cent or as low as 20 per cent. Furthermore, Ms Mosweu said a person with bilharzia presents fever, chills, cough and muscle pains and without treatment the signs could persist for years. She said other symptoms included abdominal pains, enlarged liver, blood in stools or urine and problems of passing urine.

Earlier the DHMT coordinator, Ms Rose Munyere said the objectives of the launch was to sensitise stakeholders on the mass drug administration in order for the campaign to bear fruits.

Meanwhile a press release from the Ministry of Health and Wellness issued last week indicated that other areas where the bilharzia drug would be administered are Bobirwa, Ghanzi, Good Hope, Charleshill, Francistown, Jwaneng, Kgalagadi North, Lobatse, North East, Palapye, Selibe Phikwe, Serowe and Tutume. It further stated that the campaign was in line with WHO recommendations and the NTD roadmap of 2021-2030. Ends