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Challenges of schistosomiasis control and elimination and the Way Forward in sub-Saharan Africa: Literature review and status.

Abstract

There are more than 200 million people infected worldwide and 20 million of these suffer serious health consequences, mostly children and adolescents in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). A literatures review was conducted to look for challenges for control and elimination of schistosomiasis and the ways forward in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). A global effort of controlling schistosomiasis has documenting visible results in controlling in some parties of low endemic regions and reducing prevalence and intensity of infection in some parts of African regions. However, the burden is still high and causing high morbidity and continuous as public health problem in most of Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) countries, because of different challenges. This challenges are: Inadequate treatment coverage; complexity and variability of transmission dynamics; not considering current recommended treatment strategy ;low compliance to anti-schistosomiasis drugs ;water harvesting and Sanitation problems; poor community awareness and Behavioral change ; use of less sensitive diagnostic tools; lack of snails controlling as integration; high co-infections rate with other parasitic and non-parasitic infectious disease; vaccination luck of vaccine against schistosomiasis; Polices of the countries and Population movement and migration; poor mapping quality and uncertainties and risks of climate change in the region. They’re for scalping treatment coverage by considering complexity and variability of transmission dynamics; improving mapping quality and uncertainties and generally, integrated, intersectorial approach that goes beyond deworming is the ways forward for sustainable control of schistosomiasis. This actually needs long last more founding for out and in and political commitment of the endemic regions.

More information

Type
Journal Article
Author
Assefa A
Berhe N