West Region: Gov’t launches national campaign against Bilharzia
By Stephen TADAHA
The campaign to disinfect school-age children from bilharzia and other intestinal diseases in Cameroon was launched in Magba, in the Noun division, West Region.
The launch was jointly done by the Secretaries General at the Ministries of Basic Education and Public Health, Asheri Kilo and Louis Richard Djock respectively.
The 3-day campaign sought to sensitize the population on the need to apply preventive measures against the parasite which is on the rise in health facilities.
The campaign targets over 7 million children nationwide who will receive mebendazole, praziquantel, and albendazole tablets.
Bilharzia is a disease caused by parasitic flatworms called schistosomes. The urinary tract or the intestines may be infected. Symptoms include abdominal pain, diarrhea, bloody stool, or blood in the urine. Those who have been infected for a long time may experience liver damage, kidney failure, infertility, or bladder cancer. In children, it may cause poor growth and learning difficulty.
According to the Regional delegate of Public Health, Dr Chimun Daouda, the disease can cause many complications in children right up to their studies.
“The parasite can cause diarrhoea, and hematuria and can negatively impact the education of the child and can go as far as causing a mental delay in children,” he said.
