The most important reasons for the existing high prevalence of schistosomiasis
in the project area are frequent water contact activities in natural
water bodies intensified by (1) a lack of facilities for diagnosing S. mansoni;
(2) a lack of drugs for treating S. mansoni infections; (3) an absence of a
snail control program; (4) an absence of a safe water supply and sanitation
program that has been adversely affected by a general shortage of cement
and other materials; and (5) a lack of a well-coordinated health education and
disease monitoring program.