Yemen: more than 600,000 students targeted in bilharzia campaign

Around 680,870 boys and girls between the ages of 6 and 18 in 1774 schools have been targeted for four days as part of the third phase of the national campaign to rid 32 districts in Sana’a, Ibb, Lahjj, Sa’ada, Hodeidah, and Shabwa of bilharzia (schistosomiasis).

Launched Sunday [09 Nov 2008], the campaign was organized by the Ministry of Public Health and Population in cooperation with the World Bank and World Health Organization.

This phase of the campaign costs more than YR 90 million. It involved training more than 2,516 people, including 1,504 volunteers, mostly teachers, and 968 medical specialists. Volunteers and medical staff were provided with 155 cars, around two million tablets for the treatment of bilharzia, and more than 715,000 doses for the treatment of soil-borne parasites in addition to the supportive iron medicines at an estimated cost of up to YR 46 million with government funding.

Source: Yemen Observer, 11 Nov 2008