Health experts have
causioned the public to be more vigilant now that it has been found that all
mosquitoes spread elephantiasis.
The national Neglected
Tropical Diseases (NTD) Coordinator, Dr Upendo Mwingira, said in the past, only
the culex mosquito was known to spread elephantiasis.
Recent studies,
however, have shown that even anopheles mosquitoes can, which in the local
context means that a huge chunk of the country’s population population is now
vulnerable to elephantiasis.
“as the world changes
because of the effects of such occurrences like climate change, the medical
world is also changing while research is helping open up more finding,” she
explained.
She refuted the claims,
saying that the shells of the coconuts were actually excellent breeding ground
for mosquitoes, telling the people to keep their environments clean.
According to NTD
statistics, elephantiasis has affected the whole country with a prevalence rate
of between 1 and 69 per cent while bilharzia, also a menace countrywide, has a
prevalence rate of between 12.7 and 87.6 per cent.
A baseline survey
conducted in 2010 for Dar es Salaam and Mwanza for bilharzias showed that Misungwi
was top with 28.84 per cent while ar es salaam it was Ilala district with 16.68
per cent. For the case of lymphatic filariasis, a baseline study conducted in
2004 showed that in the case of Ilala district in Dar es Salaam region, Tabata
Mandela had 24.34 per cent presence of the disease.
In kinondoni District,
Tandale and Temboni came up top with 37.21 per cent 37.25 per cent respectively
while in Temeke District, kigamboni led with 36.25 per cent.
Source: Daily newz
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