IMPORTANCE OF SCHISTOSOMIASIS IN THE ISOKA DISTRICT OF ZAMBIA - A PREREQUISITE FOR ITS CONTROL USING COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION

The opinion has long been held that only by treating cases individuall y could diseases be controlled or eradicated. This view has been adopt ed from time immemorial and has failed miserably in, for instance, the control of schistosomiasis. This paper presents views of the head tea chers on the prominence of schistosomiasis in the Isoka district, Zamb ia, as a step towards their involvement in a community mediated progra mme for the control of schistosomiasis. Information was sought on the importance of schistosomiasis in the district by means of two question naires, one distributed to head teachers, and the other to school chil dren. Lack of clean water was considered to be the leading factor by 7 1 (82.6%) teachers. Generally, schistosomiasis was not considered to b e a prominent disease in the district. Nevertheless, teachers from hig hly infected areas ranked schistosomiasis as a health problem higher t han those teachers from schools with lower prevalences (P=0.002). The implications of these results to implementing a district wide schistos omiasis control programme covering both infected and uninfected areas are discussed.