Chronicle Editor
Canditar Chapanduka, Chronicle Reporter
GOVERNMENT in collaboration with Sight Savers and Basilwizi Trust is taking a bold move to eliminate trachoma in Binga district.
Trachoma is the world’s leading infectious cause of blindness.
A mass drug administration (MDA) to eradicate the disease has been rolled out in the district.
The implementing partners are running an initiative called Zimbabwe accelerated trachoma elimination programme to complement Government efforts to eliminate the neglected tropical disease that is a problem in Binga.
It was started in May 2022 and ends on 15 September this year.
Giving the members of the community toilets, bins and racks, the partners noted, is not a solution because what people did not work hard for, they do not cherish hence the decision to empower them to build their own infrastructure and help them to establish community response.
District medical officer Dr Sibonginkosi Ncube said the trachoma is caused by unhygienic environment in the homes.
Basilizwi Trust project officer Mr Pottar Muzamba said one of the major steps in fighting the disease is therefore to address the issue of unhygienic surroundings at homes.
“Binga in terms of sanitation coverage stands at about 13 percent, which is quite a worrisome situation because it means that people are still doing open defecation due to lack of toilets. In implementing this project Basilwizi is using the SAFE (Surgeries, Antibiotics Administration, Facial cleanliness and Environmental Improvement) strategy,” said Mr Muzamba.
He said the trust was focusing on the F AND E component of the SAFE strategy.
“In doing facial cleanliness and environmental improvement, Basilwizi is raising awareness at schools through primary school pupils composing songs, writing poems and drawing pictures highlighting environmental situations in their homes,” said Mr Muzamba.
The district environmental health officer Mr Noel Magwabani said the programme’s aim is to eliminate trachoma by improving hygiene standards in Binga district.
“Trachoma is caused by a bacteria called chlamydia trachomatis and it favours dirty situations,” he said.
The partners are preparing to train school health co-ordinators on how to assist the pupils to maintain high hygiene standards both at school and at home.
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