The Ministry Starts a New Schistosomiasis Treatment Program for Children

Posted on : Friday , 6th March 2026

The 18-month pilot project will be carried out in a few chosen district councils in the Mwanza, Simiyu, and Kigoma areas in collaboration with UNDP, WHO, Japan and the GHIT Fund. 

At the project's debut in Mwanza City over the weekend, Dr. Seif Shekalaghe, Permanent Secretary in the Health Ministry, stated that Sengerema, Itilima and Kigoma-Ujiji Municipal are the district councils that are being targeted.

He claims that the research would assess the viability of various delivery methods and incorporating arPZQ into current healthcare systems, with the results influencing more comprehensive national and regional plans to eradicate schistosomiasis.

"More than 25,000 preschool-aged children in the chosen districts are the project's the intended audience. The project was made possible by Tanzania's regulatory clearance of arPZQ last year, which made it the first nation in the world to do so," according to Dr. Shekalaghe. 

The Japanese Access and Delivery (ADP) to the National Institute for Medical Research (NIMR) Strengthening Capacity for Delivery and Uptake of Paediatric Praziquantel Formulation for Schistosomiasis (STEPPS) project is directly supporting the pilot study in Tanzania. 

He said that since 2018, baseline illness mapping, encouraging community involvement, working together on national consultations, bolstering the required regulatory and policy permissions and carrying out a cost-benefit analysis research have all been part of ADP's help.

"According to research, "an estimated 3 million preschool-aged children in Tanzania are at risk of schistosomiasis," Dr. Shekalaghe stated. 

According to Mohammed Nyati, the Ministry of Health's Coordinator for Schistosomiasis, the disease is still quite common in Tanzania, especially in the Lake Victoria districts and affects millions of children under five worldwide. 

According to him, the launch of arPZQ, the first pediatric formulation created especially for kids under five, closes a long-standing treatment gap and establishes Tanzania as a world leader in implementing this life-saving technology.

According to Nyati, "this project signifies Tanzania's commitment to eradicating neglected tropical diseases and strengthening child health systems through science, innovation and strategic partnerships." 

He stated that the Ministry of Health has been having trouble getting medications to treat the illness and conducting tests for many years, particularly for children below five. 

"We are going to get medicines that do not pose the minor side effects that were causing children to lose strength, stomach pain and vomit after being given the previous medicines," Nyati stated. "The previously supplied medicines for schistosomiasis were a bit of a challenge in treating it."