By Michael Gwarisa in Gwanda Approximately 48 Kilometres outside Gwanda town in Sifanjani Village, 68-year-old Reuben Sibanda sits amongst his fellow village men and women under a giant Baobab tree. They all listen attentively to the health worker educating them about Lymphatic Filariasis also known as Elephantiasis and why they should partake in the ongoing Mass Drug Administration (MDA) underway in Gwanda and Seven other districts across the country. It’s an unusual sight under the big Baobab tree as men of all ages, who in most circles, are regarded as…
Read MoreTag: the END Fund
Three Neglected Tropical Diseases Pose Health Threat To Over 5 Million Zimbabweans
The Ministry of Health and Child Care (MoHCC) Principal Director Public Health, Dr Munyaradzi Dobbie says Zimbabwe is still saddled with the burden of three Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs, namely Schistosomiasis (SCH) & Soil Transmitted Helminthiasis (STH) and lymphatic filariasis. By Michael Gwarisa This was revealed during a Results dissemination Workshop for the 2021 National Geospatial mapping for the three NTD’s, namely Schistosomiasis (SCH) & Soil Transmitted Helminthiasis (STH) and 2023 Confirmatory Mapping of lymphatic filariasis in Zimbabwe in the Capital, Harare where it was revealed that 35 percent of…
Read MoreBreaking the Cycle of Neglect: New Report Highlights the Economic Benefits of Eliminating NTDs in Africa
More than 1.7bn people require treatment for neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) worldwide, with over 40% of the burden in Africa. Data indicate that reducing the illness and early death associated with NTDs would increase adults’ current and future economic productivity. Treating and preventing NTDs at a large scale could greatly increase the GDPs of countries that are currently burdened by disease. OVER 560 million people across Africa remain at risk of neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) – a group of parasitic and bacterial infectious diseases, such as river blindness and intestinal…
Read More