CHINESE organisation China Institute of Parasitic Diseases has pledged to help the country in the fight against bilharzia which has become endemic.
Addressing journalists during a recent tour of Shamva district which is experiencing a high incidence of the disease, Li Shizhu, the institute’s director, said they were determined to control further spread of the disease.
“We want to control the multiplication of the snail population in the water and also to treat confirmed cases of the disease. We are aiming at removing infection sources so that we reduce the risk of the disease in the country,” Shizhu said.
“We have issued some plans to protect the people as we have the experience and are happy to provide other things like medication to Zimbabwe.
“We want to help the government to improve the local people's health, to transfer the knowledge of schistosomiasis control to help the women and children mainly infected by schistosomiasis.”
A pilot project between Zimbabwe and China was also launched recently to control and eliminate the tropical disease.
A recent joint study conducted by the Health and Child Care ministry, National Institute of Health Research in Zimbabwe and the China National Institute of Parasitic Diseases, said Mashonaland Central was highly affected by bilharzia.
According to 2021 global estimates, more than 200 million people across the globe require treatment for bilharzia.
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In Zimbabwe, the disease is endemic in almost all provinces although on average, 22,7% of the population was affected by the disease.
