WASH interventions have the potential to reduce the environmental exposure to infected schistosome eggs and larvae and thus reduce transmission of the disease ensuring a long term improvement in people’s wellbeing. The provision of access to safe drinking water, hygiene and sanitation, which has also been classified as the “forgotten foundations of health”, though essential in the control of schistosomiasis, is inadequate in large parts of low and middle-income countries where schistosomiasis is endemic. WASH has been acknowledged in WHO prevention and control guidelines, which advices the inclusion of the same in helminth control programs. Water, sanitation and hygiene education (WASH) have been emphasized as a component of an integrated control and elimination strategy in the WHA resolution on the bases that they should reduce schistosomiasis transmission by reducing human water contact. Recently, there has been global advocacy geared towards schistosomiasis transmission interruption, with a call in the year 2012 by the World Health Assembly (WHA) resolution 65.21, on countries to intensify control and initiate elimination campaigns. This intervention is often delivered through school based deworming programme (SBDP) and offers many benefits to the treated children. Although chemotherapy is cost-effective and reduces schistosome infections in human hosts, it has a limitation in that it does not kill immature worms and has low impact on transmission. Like many other endemic countries, the control of schistosomiasis is through mass drug administration (MDA) using the drug of choice Praziquantel. Schistosomiasis infections have been shown to increase the susceptibility to or severity of co-infecting pathogens, and as a result the disease has been targeted for control and eventual elimination by the World Health Organization (WHO). However, mortality associated with these infections is low. Schistosomiasis contributes significantly to lower social economic conditions in areas where it is endemic and causes a great deal of disability thus reducing the work performance among the infected individuals. The programme was implemented until the year 2008, after which MDA was taken over by the Kenya National School based deworming programme. The preventive chemotherapy included a single dose of 40 mg/kg of Praziquantel administered using the tablet dose pole to determine the number of tablets to be taken by a child, and Albendazole as a single dose of 400 mg. The programme entailed mass drug administration (MDA) of preventive chemotherapy to all school age children in Mwea, Kirinyaga County. Ī school based schistosomiasis and soil transmitted helminths control programme was initiated in the year 2004 through collaboration between Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI) and Japan International Corporation Agency (JICA). The distribution of Schistosomiasis in Kenya is such that Schistosoma haematobium is found mainly around the coast regions, some parts of Lake Victoria and Kano plains in Western Kenya, while Schistosoma mansoni occurs mainly in the Western parts of the country, and some parts of Central Kenya. Recent findings reported prevalence of 2.1% for Schistosoma mansoni, and 14.8% for Schistosoma haematobium among school going children. Two species are predominant in Kenya, Schistosoma haematobium and, Schistosoma mansoni. In Kenya, approximately six million people have schistosomiasis and an additional fifteen million are at risk of infection. Schistosomiasis is endemic in more than 78 countries, with more than 90% of the infections occurring in sub- Saharan Africa. According to the Global burden of disease report of 2013, more than 290 million people worldwide are estimated to be infected with schistosomiasis, about 600–780 million are at risk of infection, with morbidity due to these infections resulting to an estimated 2.8 million disability adjusted life years (DALYs). Schistosoma mansoni, transmitted by Biomphalaria snails and Schistosoma haematobium, transmitted by Bulinus snails are the most prevalent Schistosoma species. Intestinal schistosomiasis is caused by Schistosoma mansoni and Schistosoma japonicum where parasite eggs are released in faeces while urinary schistosomiasis is caused by Schistosoma haematobium, and parasite eggs are released in the urine. There are two types of schistosomiasis, intestinal and urinary. Schistosomiasis is a parasitic disease caused by a trematode worm of the genius Schistosoma.
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