Malwandla Primary School test positive for Bilharzia

The Limpopo Department of Health has sent healthcare professionals to Malwandla Primary School in Tzaneen after 142 learners tested positive for Birlhazia. The learners at the school in Petanenge informal settlement near Nkowankowa showed bilharzia-related symptoms last week.

All learners who test positive will receive appropriate anti-schistosomal medication to treat the infection.

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“The Limpopo Department of Health is starting today (28 August 2024) dispatching a team of healthcare professionals to treat the 142 learners of Malwandla Primary School who tested positive for Birlhazia,” the department said.

“Last week, the department sent a mobile clinic team to conduct tests after parents and teachers suspected that learners at the school might be having the condition. The dispatched team will provide immediate medical care and treatment to the affected learners.”

DEPARTMENT SEND HELP TO MALWANDLA PRIMARY SCHOOL IN TZANEEN

“In addition, given that bilharzia is often transmitted through contact with contaminated water, the department is working closely with the water service authority in the area. To assess and improve water quality in the affected areas,” they said.

“Measures will be put in place to ensure that all water sources used by the school and the surrounding community are safe and free from contamination.

“Parents, guardians, and community members are urged to support these interventions by ensuring that children avoid swimming or playing in potentially contaminated water and by ensuring that they take children who are suspected of contracting the disease to the nearest health facility.”

According to the World Health Organisation [WHO], Bilharzia a disease of poverty that leads to chronic ill-health. Infection is acquired when people come into contact with fresh water infested with the larval forms (cercariae) of parasitic blood flukes, known as schistosomes.

The microscopic adult worms live in the veins draining the urinary tract and intestines. Most of the eggs they lay are trapped in the tissues and the body’s reaction to them can cause massive damage.

Schistosomiasis affects almost 240 million people worldwide, and more than 700 million people live in endemic areas. The infection is prevalent in tropical and sub-tropical areas, in poor communities without potable water and adequate sanitation. Urogenital schistosomiasis is caused by Schistosoma haematobium and intestinal schistosomiasis by any of the organisms S. guineensis, S. intercalatum, S. mansoni, S. japonicum, and S. mekongi.