New initiative fights neglected tropical disease

An international group of leading researchers visited Port Shepstone Regional Hospital in connection with World Neglected Tropical Diseases Day last Monday.
They are connected to BRIGHT Academy in Shelly Beach which will serve as a headquarter for a new four-year project.
It will introduce groundbreaking technology for diagnosis of Female Genital Schistosomiasis (FGS), one of the most neglected tropical diseases affecting millions of people in Africa including the Ugu District.
The researchers are from from Mozambique, Swaziland, Norway, Greece and South Africa.
Professor Fortunate Shabalala of the University of Eswatini (UNESWA) said people are rarely checked for FGS.
She said it is more common in women but men can also be affected.
“Most women will present symptoms that are similar to Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STIs) or cancer.”
Shabalala said long term presence of the disease in the body creates high risks of contracting HIV.
“It also increases risks of infertility because the eggs of the bacteria affects the fallopian tubes. A woman might also be at high risk of having an ectopic pregnancy or miscarriage, maybe even not be able to conceive at all.”
Shabalala stressed when a patient visits a hospital or health facility, they must ask to be checked for schistosomiasis.
The World Health Organization has published a pocket atlas for health professionals. It contains photos to help them recognise the different diseases in question.
Building on this, the University of KwaZulu-Natal together with four institutions in Southern Africa and four European institutions, all funded by the European Union, have launched a four-year research programme in South Africa, Eswatini and Mozambique to improve the process of diagnosis and treatment of this neglected tropical disease This will include testing the new equipment to ensure that it works well in Africa.

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