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Talent Gore
Women, who live in areas that are affected by schistosomiasis (bilharzia) have a higher risk of contracting HIV, National Institute of Health Research director Professor Nicholas Midzi has said.
Addressing journalists at a media training on Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTD) organised by the Ministry of Health and Child Care in collaboration with Higherlife Foundation, Prof Midzi the wounds make it favourable for the spread of HIV virus.
“Women who have urogenital schistosomiasis (bilharzia) which refers to the presence of eggs of the worms that caused the disease or wounds wherever they are trapped in the tissues when they are present in the reproductive organs are at a risk of contracting HIV,” he said.
“We have been able to show and demonstrate that when young women are living in an endemic community for Schistosomiasis or Bilharzia, 75 percent of them suffer from what is referred to as Female Genital Schistosomiasis (bilharzia).
“This is the presence of schistosomiasis ova in the reproductive organs of the females.
“These may lead to abortions (miscarriages), ectopic pregnancies, and much more to it, the lesions that are formed within the vagina result in exchanging blood in males and females, and that increases the transmission of HIV.
“We have also been able to demonstrate that females who have Female Schistososimais are three times most likely to contract HIV.”
Prof Midzi however, said even though the prevalence of Schistosomiasis (bilharzia) is lower in males compared to women, men who have Urinary Schistosomiasis (bilharzia) exhibit high HIV viral load levels compared to those without schistosomiasis (bilharzia).
He added that the overall bilharzia prevalence rose in 2021 due to the temporal suspension mass drug administration.
“At baseline bilharzia was 22,7 percent and in 2018 when we did impact assessment the overall prevalence was 5 percent we had a huge decrease in the burden of bilharzia across the country,” he said.
“However, in 2021 we conducted a re-assessment survey following a temporal suspension of Mass Drug Administration and the results that we got showed us that there was a slight increase in the prevalence of bilharzia from 5 percent to 10, 7 percent in 2021.
“So with the survey that we conducted in 2021 it allowed us to come up with the prevalence or the threshold of bilharzia at ward level so in all our wards(1900) we have been able to classify them into treatment strategies.”
Online Reporter