Launch of programme in Zambia – June 21st 2005
The guest of honour at the launch was the Hon Andrew Mulenga, Minister of Education for Zambia. The function was attended by the Deputy Minister of Health Hon Kapembwa Simbao plus several senior staff from both Ministries, Dr. Stella Anyangwe the WHO representative to Zambia, and representatives from UNICEF and World Food Programme. The guests were introduced by the District Commissioner for Siavonga Mrs Emily Striedl.
The launch followed what has become a standard pattern with introductions, short speeches from several distinguished guests and then a keynote address from the Minister. The speeches were interspersed with entertainment from local school children singing songs and performing drama which highlighted the transmission, symptoms and cure of bilharzias. There was also singing and dancing from adult troupes. Finally school children were treated with praziquantel and albendazole by the Minister. The launch was followed by a lunch at the Sandy Beach Resort on the shores of the Lake.
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On
Tuesday 21st June 2005, the national Zambian Bilharzia Control
Programme, a component of the School Health and Nutrition Programme, was
launched at Mpango Basic school near Siavonga, a town on Lake Kariba about
200 km from Lusaka in Southern Province.
The
launch was attended by Professor Alan Fenwick (Director) and Ms. Fiona
Fleming (Zambia programme coordinator) from SCI, London and from the Zambian
team, the chairman of the schistosomiasis control task force, Dr James
Mwansa, the Ministry of Health programme coordinator Dr. Faith Nchito and
Ministry of Education coordinator Mrs Marian Tembo.
During
July and August there will be a collection of baseline data from schools in
Southern province and then mass treatment of approximately 600,000 school
children against bilharzias (mansoni and haematobium) using praziquantel
donated by SCI and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and de-worming
using albendazole donated by MedPharm pharmaceuticals assisted by donations
from Canadian charities.