Plans for Future Community Health Interventions
Neglected tropical diseases are a widespread problem in Africa, and many children suffer from intestinal worms. At Nyabirehe Primary School, a school in the Musanze district of Rwanda, there is currently no nurse or health worker that students can go to if they feel sick. Proper education is also not yet available for children on how to prevent disease and practice sanitary habits. The health center is far away from their village and most people cannot afford to be treated there, as most people live on less than $2 a day. Due to the lack of access to treatment, hundreds of children have dropped out of Nyabirehe due to neglected tropical diseases and severe malnutrition.
The transmission of intestinal worms is a vicious cycle, and there are many ways to spread it. If an infected person defecates outside, then the worms will lay eggs in the soil. If that soil is later used as fertilizer, then the people who touch it or consume food grown in it are at risk for contracting the disease. It is important that the food is cooked very well and that people wash their hands frequently, especially if they have handled the food or touched the soil. There are some hookworm larvae that can penetrate the human skin, and it is primarily spread by walking barefoot on contaminated soil. Water can also be contaminated as well, so it should be boiled and stored in a sanitary container that can be sealed close.
When a child gets sick or is in pain, they have to lay down until the pain goes away or walk home alone, and this makes them not want to come back. Even if they are able to physically make it to school, it is very difficult for a student with worms to stay focused and perform at an optimal level. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “Heavy infections can cause a range of health problems, including abdominal pain, diarrhea, blood and protein loss, rectal prolapse, and physical and cognitive growth retardation.” Malnutrition is the biggest side effect of this disease due to low capability to absorb nutrients, and it can stunt a child’s physical and cognitive growth. These symptoms are detrimental to a child’s success and, if left untreated, they can cause permanent damage such as blindness.
Move Up Global is determined to provide a community health worker based in the school that can help these children. Boston University has collaborated with Move Up Global to create a digital application for a tablet specifically for the future health worker that will systematically provide instructions for the process of screening the students and directions for how to use the app. It will also be able to record data, enable offline data entry, and generate automatic reports. They will screen the students every month to check for worms, provide deworming medicine to infected students, and check up on them at home. The health worker will also educate the students on how to prevent worms and other diseases and how to stay sanitary. A community health worker will provide students with treatment for the disease and the knowledge they need to maintain good health and stay in school. Ultimately, access to basic health care is absolutely essential in order for children to succeed and live to their fullest potential.
By Hannah Smith, Hartwick College, Oneonta, New York.