Tanzania praises Chinese aid project for bilharzia control

DAR ES SALAAM, Aug. 1 (Xinhua) -- Tanzania's Zanzibar authorities on Wednesday praised the Chinese aid project for control of schistosomiasis, also known as bilharzia, saying it has helped eliminate the disease in the Indian Ocean islands.

When visiting the China-aid Project on Schistosomiasis Control in Zanzibar, Katibu Mkuu Habiba, principal secretary of the Zanzibar Ministry of Health, and Khamis Bilali Ali, coordinator of the Ministry of Health on Pemba Island, expressed their sincere appreciation for it.

The Chinese experts managing the project presented an overview of the background and progress of the second-phase project and its working model.

Habiba thanked the Chinese government for strongly supporting Zanzibar's health work over the years and appreciated the Chinese schistosomiasis control expert group for their efforts to eliminate schistosomiasis in Zanzibar and help local people eliminate the harm caused by the disease.

Habiba hoped that the Jiangsu Institute of Parasitic Diseases, the specific unit to implement the project, would increase technology transfer, provide more assistance in capacity training for Zanzibar personnel, cultivate excellent schistosomiasis control talent, and achieve the goal of eliminating schistosomiasis as soon as possible.

Also, she said the potential benefits of integrated schistosomiasis management strategies, such as snail eradication through ecological interventions and safe water supply, would help local people improve their living conditions while reducing the chance of contact with infected water.

The expert team showcased the achievements of their public health education efforts and the development of a science popularization base as part of the project. They also demonstrated the detection procedure for schistosomiasis and snail ecology experiments and provided an overview of the measures taken for snail control and safe water supply.

The China-aid project experts in Zanzibar have been conducting fieldwork for nearly a year, which has achieved notable control results and garnered praise from both the Tanzanian government and the local population.