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“Kichocho Control Programme” launches on Pemba Island,
Zanzibar
On Tuesday 6th January 2004, His Excellency the
President of Zanzibar, Amani Abeid Karume and His Excellency the Italian
Ambassador for Tanzania were joined by distinguished guests from across
Africa and Europe to launch the ‘Kichocho Control Programme’ on Pemba
Island, Zanzibar.
His Excellency, the President had previously expressed his commitment to
controlling schistosomiasis by officiating the launch of ‘Kick Out Kichocho’
on Unguja Island, Zanzibar in October 2003 and was delighted to demonstrate
his commitment to control by accepting the invitation to officiate the
launch on Pemba Island.
The ceremony took place at the Public Health Laboratory,
supported by the Ivo de Carneri Foundation (IdCF), in the main town of Chake
Chake, with a joint celebration of the laying of the foundation stone of the
new PHL-IdC extension, the 10 year anniversary of IdCF and the launch of the
‘Kichocho Control Programme’. His Excellency, the President joined a tour of
the PHL-IdC and was shown the excellent facilities available for scientific
research on Pemba.
Representatives from SCI, WHO Geneva, IdCF, Natural History
Museum London joined representatives from the Ministries of Health, and
Education, in Zanzibar and Mainland Tanzania and researchers from across
Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda and Zambia to celebrate the launch with children
from local primary and secondary schools. Despite the torrential rain, the
ceremony was highly successful with dancing and poems to raise awareness of
the programme.
The Kichocho Control Programme, financed by the SCI and
directed by the Public Health Laboratory, aims to treat all communities
across the Island for schistosomiasis and soil-transmitted helminths over
the coming years. This programme also provides the first opportunity for an
integrated disease control approach on Pemba, utilising the expertise from
the Lymphatic Filariasis Elimination Campaign, which has now successfully
completed three rounds of annual treatment. Maintenance of the programme
will then move towards treatment of school-age children to meet the WHO
recommendation that at least 75% of school-age children in endemic areas
should be receiving regular deworming treatment by 2010.
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