The control of bilharzia and intestinal worms

Updates since the launch of the programme to control bilharzia and intestinal worms 8 months ago.

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.