The Sunday News
Richard Muponde, Gwanda Correspondent
ABOUT 178 villagers from Dwala in Gwanda District have been infected by worms which cause an itchy skin disease prompting medical authorities to dispatch a team to administer drugs to the affected villagers.
The situation was so serious that the team of medical personnel had to camp in the area treating villagers who were suffering from the disease which is medically referred to cutaneous larvae migrans.
More villagers are said to be infected but when the team arrived last week most of them were not at home and were said to have gone to harvest amacimbi. Matabeleland South Provincial Medical Director Dr Rudo Chikodzore confirmed the infections in Dwala and said about 15 villages have been affected.
“Cutaneous larvae migrans is a skin disease in humans caused by larvae of parasites of the hookworm family. The parasites live in the intestines of dogs, cats and some wild animals.
“The disease is sometimes often loosely referred to as sandworm infection since the larvae likes to live in sand soils.
“The disease can be transmitted when humans come into contact with soil which has been contaminated with larvae from animal feaces.
“The larvae penetrate the human skin leaving behind work like burrows in the skin,” said Dr Chikodzore.
She said patients affected would experience intense itchy skin which when scratched results in additional infections.
“If not treated the infection can last a few weeks to a year. Medicines for the treatment are available and sufficient in the district as well as the province.
“A three-day course of Albendazole is given. I want to tell the community to approach the health facilities if they are affected to receive treatment and also have their domestic animals de-wormed regularly,” she said.
Dr Chikodzore urged the community not to shun the Mass Drug Administration which is routinely carried out by the Ministry of Health and Child Care as helminth (parasite worms) such as hookworms are targeted by the drug administered.
The provincial veterinary officer, Dr Enart Mdlongwa, also confirmed receiving the reports but said they had not taken samples in the area.
“I received an e-mail from the heath officials about the worms but we have not yet gone to the area to take samples.
“The issue is a public health issue which is tackled by the medical authorities. However, we advise villagers to build toilets and stop open defecation and also de-worm their dogs. The worms are spread after dogs eat human waste.
“If the Ministry of Health and Child Welfare has money to buy dewormers it would be ideal to stop the spread of the worms,” said Dr Mdlongwa.
