South West : Schistosomiasis Outbreak Declared In Meme Division

The Senior Divisional Officer (SDO) for Meme Division, Chamberlain Ntou'ou Ndong, has issued an urgent communiquee following the outbreak of schistosomiasis in areas like Tancha, Ntam I, II and III, Mahole, Mambanda I and II, Pung-Pung, Nshie-Nshie (Kosala II and V) and Pulletin quarters, Meme Division, South West Region. The communiquee signed on February 20, 2025 outlines preventive measures, calls for community vigilance, and urges residents to seek medical attention if they experience symptoms. Local health officials are also mobilizing resources to contain the outbreak. In his statement, the SDO emphasized the importance of adhering to preventive measures; including avoiding contact with potentially contaminated water sources and seeking prompt medical attention for any symptoms associated with schistosomiasis. Residents are urged to cooperate with health officials and participate in community-wide treatment campaigns to curb the spread of the disease. 

What is Schistosomiasis?
Schistosomiasis also called bilharzia is a urinary tract infection caused by a parasite. The common one we have in our setting is a specie called schistosoma haematobium, which usually affects the urinary tract with the major symptom being blood in urine. Before blood in urine, you would hardly feel anything until it affects the bladder causing inflammation of the bladder that the person starts witnessing a change in urine colour. But again, it can lead to body weakness and muscle pain, but the major pathognomonic sign before going to the lab is blood in urine. It is mostly common with children, less than the age of 20 that is, between 5 to 15 years.

How many children are currently affected in Meme Division?
Highly suspicious cases are about 15 children, but we have general number of children who have been identified which stands at more than 40. Kumba has two main health districts, Kumba South and Kumba North. It is mainly in the Kumba South health district that these cases are found. But we have one or two cases in the Kumba North Health district. Since we are suspecting its origin from the three-corner river, we have to manage all the schools around the trajectory of the river. So, with the response, we have to touch all the primary schools in the two health districts because a person might have it and not have the symptoms yet. We will not wait until children start having symptoms before we put them on treatment. The response that we will start on February 26, 2025, we will officially be giving treatment to all the children within that age group and also take urine and stool samples for some few students and pupils to check the level of contamination in the children. 

What are some precautionary measures to be put in place to limit its spread?
It is a parasite gotten through water bath in (river water), because the vector is a snail. It enters into the snail, multiplies in it and the snail sends i...