Early this month, over 2,800 preschool-aged children in Uganda were given the first preventative treatment targeted to their age group for schistosomiasis or bilharzia, a parasitic disease affecting nearly 240 million people globally.
The new treatment is derived from a well-established drug used to treat schistosomiasis in school-aged children and adults. It comes in a dispersible tablet that’s palatable to preschool-aged children.
At least 50 million preschool-aged children globally are at risk of getting schistosomiasis. Without treatment, schistosomiasis can affect a child’s cognitive development and cause malnutrition, anemia, and even organ damage or death. The World Health Organization has long called for children aged 2 years and above to receive preventive treatment for the disease, but no pediatric treatment option tailored for preschoolers existed until now.
About the author
Jenny Lei Ravelo@JennyLeiRavelo
Jenny Lei Ravelo is a Devex Senior Reporter based in Manila. She covers global health, with a particular focus on the World Health Organization, and other development and humanitarian aid trends in Asia Pacific. Prior to Devex, she wrote for ABS-CBN, one of the largest broadcasting networks in the Philippines, and was a copy editor for various international scientific journals. She received her journalism degree from the University of Santo Tomas.
