In its bid to tackle snail fever otherwise known as schistosomiasis in some parts of the state, medical intervention has commenced in local government areas such as Ikeja, ifako-Ijaiye, Amuwo Odofin, Oshodi-Isolo, Agege and Alimosho local government areas, by the state government in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Health and World Health Organisation (WHO). Omolara Akintoye, who was at some of the primary health centres, reports.
Once you discover that your child has any of the symptoms for schistosomiasis, otherwise known as snail fever, don’t practice self medication at home. Rather, bring the child to the nearest health centre and lodge complaint, drugs will be administered on such a child promptly,” declared the Community Health Officer, Primary Health Centre, Meiran, Agbado-Ijaiye, Mrs. Mosunmola Salam, in a chat with The Nation.
According to Salam, Lagos State government is doing all it can to contain the spread all over the state. The intervention is not limited to primary health centres alone as community health officers also went round schools, religious organisations, event centres, to administer drugs on children between the ages of 5-14 years.
Speaking with some students from primary to secondary schools, they confessed that some health officers came to their schools to educate them on what the disease is all about, how to prevent it, as well as administer drugs on them. “Some health officers came to our school today to tell us all about snail fever and to give us drugs,” said Ismail Abdulahi, a student of Lagos Baptist Secondary School, Old-Otta Road, Lagos.
Symptoms of the disease include: abdominal pain, diarrhoea, bloody stool or blood in the urine, with the possibility of death in the case of chronic schistosomiasis.
The disease affects school-age children who come in contact with it during their daily chores or at play in activities involving fresh water. “People can contact the disease through shallow pools, excavations, small earth dam, river and marshes, irrigation channels, reservoirs and lakes. Males were noticed to be more infected than females,” Salam said
Schistosomiasis is a snail-borne, water-based parasitic infection caused by blood-dwelling (hence called blood-fluke) trematode worms of the genus schistosoma. It is regarded as a disease of the poor and marginalised and affects approximately 779 million estimated people globally. The infection is now commonly known as bilharziasis, swimmer’s itch, snail fever, katayama fever, blood fluke, and tsargiyya and atosi aja (dog’s gonorrhoea) in Hausa and Yoruba languages respectively. A study published by Stanford University, USA, listed Nigeria as having the highest number of schistosomiasis cases in the world.
The essence of the medical intervention is further stressed by the Lagos State Commissioner for Health, Professor Akin Abayomi, when he revealed that there is no excuse to neglect these diseases because simple interventions put in place can eliminate the pathogens. “By taking care of our hygiene, nutritional status, as well as putting simple things in place, we will go a long way in eradicating the disease. That is why the current administration has put in place the one-health approach to achieve optimal health outcomes,” said Abayomi.
For communities who have no access to pipe borne water, but river water, Salam warned that the water should be sterilised by boiling before drinking.
“Without treatment, the infection can persist for years and lead to major complications as but with treatment, the infection clears. Drink and use clean water (know your water source, boil for at least one minute if unsure), finally, avoid swimming or wading in freshwater”, she said.
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