On Wednesday, November 15, 2023 at the Regional Blood Transfusion Center, the Hauts-Bassins Regional Health Directorate held an advocacy meeting on the Mass Treatment (TDM) campaign against schistosomiasis.
Around fifty people including journalists, customary and religious authorities, representatives of civil society organizations, representatives of the educational community and health actors, took part in this information sharing session. Which consisted of a presentation on the fight against schistosomiasis in Burkina Faso, followed by discussions.
In his communication, Pabéma Traoré lifted a corner of the veil on the fight against schistosomiasis; the results of previous CT scans; some impact results; the objectives of TDM 2023; TDM implementation strategies; the expected results ; TDM targets; perspectives. We remember that schistosomiasis or bilharzia is a parasitic disease transmitted through the skin by green larvae whose intermediate host is molluscs (snails). The disease is contracted from polluted water, worms from larvae having contaminated the water with the stools or urine of sick people.
As can be seen, three factors are necessary to maintain this chain of bilharzia transmission: contamination of fresh water with urine/feces containing schistosome eggs; the presence of mollusc vectors (essential link in the parasitic cycle); the contact of the population with water infested with cercariae. Mass Treatment (CT) against bilharzia consists of breaking this chain.
The objective being “to eliminate schistosomiasis as a public health problem”, says Pebéma Traoré. Hence this campaign launched from November 13 to 18, 2023 in the Hauts-Bassins, precisely in the health districts of Do, Dafra, Léna, Karangasso-Vigué and N’Dorola. In addition to the Hauts-Bassins, the 2023 campaign also concerns the Central Plateau and Sahel regions.
The targets are 898,552 children aged 5 to 14, including 447,061 for Hauts-Bassins. To achieve this objective, specific messages have been developed for populations in endemic areas; community distributors/ASBC; customary and religious authorities.
Aly Konate
