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Laos Steps Up Efforts to Eliminate Schistosomiasis by 2030

This Week

The Lao Ministry of Health is ramping up efforts to wipe out schistosomiasis, a water-borne parasite that affects thousands of people living in riverside villages.  

At a meeting on 22 January, Phonepadith Shangxayyalath, Director of the Communicable Disease Control Department under the ministry, outlined the government’s plan to eliminate the disease by 2030.

Schistosomiasis is a parasitic disease, both acute and chronic, caused by blood flukes of the Schistosoma genus. It spreads when people swim, bathe, or fish in infected water, especially in the Mekong River and its tributaries.  

To tackle the problem, the Ministry of Health has started seeking funding to combat the parasite, but the government has not shared any updates on its progress, the official noted.

Health workers, teachers, and volunteer doctors will receive training to educate communities on disease prevention. This includes promoting the use of clean water, better sanitation, and environmental health measures to break the cycle of infection between humans, animals, and shellfish.  

The government has already made progress in controlling the disease through testing and treatment programs. The drug Praziquantel is available to treat those infected.  

According to Phonepadith, the main goal is to keep children healthy, prevent malnutrition, and reduce infection rates and child mortality caused by complications from the disease.  

Schistosomiasis was first detected in Laos in 1989, in Khong and Moonrapamok districts of Champasack Province. The disease starts with symptoms like warts on the arms and legs, fever, and abdominal pain. If left untreated, the parasite builds up in the bloodstream and can damage the urinary tract, pancreas, and liver. In severe cases, it can cause abdominal swelling, bloody urine, and even cancer.  

The World Health Organization (WHO) reported in 2016 that schistosomiasis was widespread in around 300 villages across Champasack (Laos), Kratie, and Stung Treng (Cambodia)—a 250-kilometer stretch along the Mekong River.  

Thanks to years of targeted interventions, Laos and Cambodia are now closer than ever to eliminating schistosomiasis as a public health threat. Ongoing efforts aim to fully wipe out the disease in the near future.

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