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Dr Seif Rashid, the minister for health and social welfare.
The minister for health and social welfare Dr Seif Rashid said joint efforts are needed to create public awareness on the early symptoms of the infectious diseases.
Dr Rashid was briefing the press in Dodoma on Tanzania’s preparations to mark the International HealthDay held every April 4, saying the awareness can help victims to receive early treatment.
He said: “This needs joint efforts among the stakeholders, medical practitioners and the public to embark on urgent awareness creation among the majority of the population.”
The minister warmed about widely spreading food and waterborne diseases such as bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever.
He cited other vector borne diseases as malaria, dengue fever, and rift valley fever as well as water contact diseases including schistosomiasis and leptospirosis and animal contact diseases such like rabies.
Screening of foreigners from countries prone to such diseases and vaccinations are some of government measures to prevent the diseases.
He said food or waterborne diseases are caused through eating or drinking. Hepatitis A that interferes with the functioning of the liver; spread through consumption of food or water contaminated with fecal matter, is in this category.
The disease is common principally in areas of poor sanitation, with victims exhibiting fever, jaundice and diarrhea; 15 per cent of victims will experience prolonged symptoms for up to nine months.
Hepatitis E - water-borne viral disease that interferes with the functioning of the liver; most commonly spread through fecal contamination of drinking water; victims exhibit jaundice, fatigue, abdominal pain, and dark colored urine.
Typhoid fever - bacterial disease spread through contact with food or water contaminated by fecal matter or sewage get sustained high fevers; left untreated, mortality rates can reach 20 percent.
Vectorborne diseases acquired through the bite of an infected arthropod, Malaria- caused by single-cell parasitic protozoa Plasmodium; transmitted to humans via the bite of the female Anopheles mosquito.
Heath experts say parasites multiply in the liver attacking red blood cells resulting in cycles of fever, chills, and sweats accompanied by anemia; death due to damage to vital organs and interruption of blood supply to the brain.
Dengue fever, mosquito-borne is associated with urban environments. It manifests as sudden onset of fever and severe headache, occasionally producing shock and hemorrhage leading to death in five percent of cases.
Yellow fever, mosquito-borne viral disease; severity ranges from influenza-like symptoms to severe hepatitis and hemorrhagic fever; occurs only in tropical South America and sub-Saharan Africa, where most cases are reported; fatality rate is less than 20 per cent.
Japanese Encephalitis, mosquito-borne (Culex tritaeniorhynchus) viral disease associated with rural areas in Asia; acute encephalitis can progress to paralysis, coma, and death; fatality rates 30 percent.
Other diseases in this category are,African Trypanosomiasis - caused by the parasitic protozoa Trypanosoma; transmitted to humans via the bite of bloodsucking Tsetse flies; infection leads to malaise and irregular fevers.
Cutaneous Leishmaniasis - caused by the parasitic protozoa leishmania; transmitted to humans via the bite of sandflies; results in skin lesions that may become chronic; endemic in 88 countries; 90 per cent of cases occur in many asian countries.
Plague - bacterial disease transmitted by fleas normally associated with rats; person-to-person airborne transmission also possible; recent plague epidemics occurred in areas of Asia, Africa, and South America.
It is associated with rural areas or small towns and villages; manifests as fever, headache, and painfully swollen lymph nodes; disease progresses rapidly and without antibiotic treatment leads to pneumonic form with a death rate in excess of 50 percent.
Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever - tick-borne viral disease; infection may also result from exposure to infected animal blood or tissue; geographic distribution includes Africa, Asia, the Middle East, and Eastern Europe; sudden onset of fever, headache, and muscle aches followed by hemorrhaging in the bowels, urine, nose, and gums; mortality rate is approximately 30 per cent.
SOURCE: GUARDIAN ON SUNDAY
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