Haitian authorities will launch an integrated effort to tackle a critical source of disease using water and sanitation grants announced last week by Spain and the Inter-American Development Bank.
A portion of these grants will be used to finance a campaign to control intestinal worm infections associated with poor water and sanitation services. A particular emphasis will be placed on curative and preventive treatment of children between the ages of 1 and 15 years and women of childbearing age.
Intestinal worms such as ascaris, trichuris and hookworm are a major source of disease in Haiti, causing anemia, stunted growth, malnutrition and impaired physical and cognitive development. These debilitating diseases are best controlled via an integrated approach that combines preventive and curative medical treatment of populations at risk with investments in water and sanitation infrastructure.
The campaign in Haiti will seek to improve maternal and child health status and survival through sustainable improvements in hygiene behaviors such as handwashing with soap and clean water, safe feces disposal, and safe storage and treatment of drinking water. These activities will be financed with $900,000 from the $39 million in combined grants approved by the Spanish government and the IDB for expanding and upgrading water and sanitation services in Haiti. (See link at right for details).
Intestinal worm infections are part of a group of neglected tropical diseases (NTDs), 13 parasitic and bacterial infections that are the most common afflictions of the world’s poorest people. Spread by mechanisms as simple as the bite of a fly or contact with contaminated water, NTDs blind, disable, disfigure and stigmatize marginalized populations that lack access to safe water and health care services.
The Haiti project is part of a collaborative partnership the IDB has launched with the Global Network for Neglected Tropical Diseases, an initiative of the Sabin Vaccine Institute, and the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO). Sparked by funding from The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, this partnership is leading an effort to develop a collaborative and comprehensive approach to combat these diseases in the Americas. (See link at right for more information on the partnership).