The control of bilharzia and intestinal worms in Uganda
An update as of November 1st 2003
It is now 8 months since the launch of the programme to control bilharzia
and intestinal worms.
During this 8 month period approximately 500,000 people have been treated
for bilharzia, and about 8 million have received de-worming pills, of which
500,000 have been treated on two occasions.
The District Health Officers and District Vector Control Division staff in
18 Districts already trained in bilharzias control and de-worming
participated in “sensitisation” of other senior District officials, sub
county officials and various prominent people in the community. IEC
materials were prepared and distributed to the districts, while praziquantel
and albendazole tablets have been procured, imported by National Medical
Stores and distributed to the Districts.
In each district at least one sub county (population usually about 25,000)
has been identified for intervention during Phase One. The District
officials, usually with the assistance of one of the central VCD and or SCI
team, trained school teachers on the principles behind the correct dosage of
praziquantel, and the use of the dose pole. The teachers also learned about
de-worming tablets (albendazole), and received health education material.
The teachers were each given registers to record treatment and any side
effects in their school, and then were given enough tablets of both
albendazole and praziquantel to cover the number of children registered in
their school. The teachers returned to their schools and were encouraged to
inform their children about bilharzias and worms, and then carry out mass
treatment targeting every registered child within a few days. To determine
the percentage coverage of treatment, the names of all children registered
in the school were entered in the register prior to the treatment, and then
as each child was treated the dosage dispensed was entered.
 In schools where the prevalence of bilharzias was over 50%, then the whole
community were offered treatment. Treatment of the community was
significantly slower and less successful than treatment of the (captive
audience) school children. District Vector Control Division officers toured
the villages training the community selected health worker, and releasing
tablets and a register to each responsible person.
By October 1st some 500,000 individuals had received treatment for both
bilharzia and intestinal worms.
In Uganda, October 16th-20th was designated for a national measles
vaccination campaign with the target audience being every child aged 6months
to 15 years. Children aged under 3 years were also given iron
supplementation, and children over the age of three were offered de worming
using albendazole.
Reports suggest that the de-worming pills acted as an incentive to
compliance with the immunisation campaign, and apparently at some treatment
posts, parents were demanding treatment before sending in their children. In
all some 8 million people were treated with de-worming tablets in October.
President Yoweri Museveni announced on national TV that de-worming would in
future be a regular annual event for school aged children.
|
