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Schistosomiasis, also known as bilharzia, is a disease caused by parasitic worms that infect freshwater sources in Africa, the Middle East, the Caribbean, and Southeast Asia. The adult worms migrate through the body via blood vessels and can live there anywhere from 5-45 years. The worms release eggs that make their way to various organs causing abdominal pain, an enlarged liver, blood in stool, blood in urine, malnutrition and reduced brain development in children, and increases the risk of bladder cancer, liver fibrosis, HIV and infertility.

Over 200 million people worldwide are infected with schistosomiasis and more than 700 million are at risk of infection. The goal is to diagnose and administer treatment for ~2,000 people across 13 communities with a population of ~5,000 for schistosomiasis in the Afadzato South District of the Volta region of Ghana. The drug of choice is called praziquantel which has been used to treat people in infected communities for more than three decades.

The organizer of this page has successfully coordinated five rounds of treatment for up to 1,700 people since 2018. The catalyst of his involvement in this charitable endeavor was a class trip during spring break at New York University where he saw the firsthand effects of the disease on an affected community that relied on the water from an infected lake for drinking, cleaning, fishing, and farming. All public health efforts have been and continue to be done with the support of local community members, medical personnel, and government agencies.

All donations have a direct impact on improving the health and well-being of people in some of the most vulnerable and impoverished communities on the planet.

Click here to learn more about Schistosomiasis.

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