The Lilongwe District Health Office (DHO) has launched a mass distribution campaign of Bilharzia drugs in order to eliminate the disease within the district.
The campaign began on Tuesday, March 5 and will run until March 9. The initiative aims to reach 800,000 people in the district, targeting school-going children aged six and above, as well as adults.
During a media briefing in Lilongwe, the District Health Promotion Officer, Richard Mvula, emphasised the importance of parents sensitising their children to take the drugs at school.
He compared the campaign to other successful initiatives, such as the elimination of Lymphatic IASIS, and expressed his hope that the effort would make Malawi free from Bilharzia.
Lilongwe DHO is collaborating with the Ministry of Education to meet primary school learners in every school. In the communities, they will also visit places where people usually meet and engage volunteers in door-to-door services.
George Jobe, the Chief Executive Officer of the Malawi Health Equity Network (MHEN), welcomed the intervention and encouraged parents and stakeholders to support the campaign.
He noted that the initiative was essential, particularly at this time when the country is still experiencing heavy rains.
