Schistosomiasis, the most deadly neglected tropical disease, can now be cured for about a dollar (and you can help)

Schistosomiasis. A weird disease with a long name that kills almost 600 people each day.[1] It spreads through unclean water and affects predominately the most vulnerable victims – children. But there are good news – we have the tools to get rid of it. Treating one person costs less than a bottle of clean water in the United Kingdom. In public health, that’s as good of a deal as it gets. And there are opportunities for you to help with as little effort as a few clicks.

When the water becomes a threat…

Schistosomiasis, also known as snail fever, is spread by a contact with water containing parasite warms. The parasites are released from freshwater snails. They penetrate the skin, live in the blood vessels, and start releasing the eggs. Some of the eggs leave humans’ body with urine and continue to infect further snails. Other eggs reach the organs and start damaging them. Because of unclean water, everyday domestic activities, for example washing clothes, become life-threatening.

Parasites attack children when they are playing in water

Playing in water, swimming, or fishing put children at high risk of getting schistosomiasis. Just having fun can lead to serious problems with health and learning abilities.

“The children were having abdominal pain, diarrhoea and nausea. This made it difficult for them to follow the lessons,” Christophe Harerimana, a school teacher in Rwanda, describes.[2]

Fortunately, the effects are usually reversible with treatment. 

The most deadly neglected tropical disease

World Health Organization estimated that there were more than 200,000 annual deaths related to schistosomiasis in 2014. Another 20 million had severe consequences caused by the disease. That’s almost as many people as there is in Australia. It is the most deadly neglected tropical disease.[3]

Schistosomiasis results in abdominal pain, diarrhoea, and blood in the stool and urine. Untreated infection may produce liver damage, kidney failure, infertility, or bladder cancer. In children it causes poor growth and learning difficulties. 

In 2016 over 200 million people needed treatment for schistosomiasis, but only about 90 million people were actually treated.

Treatment is so cheap, you wouldn’t believe

Treating one child from snail fever costs approximately one dollar. One dollar – that’s all it takes to give a person health and better opportunities in life, for example, getting education or breaking the perpetual cycle of poverty. The treatment doesn’t require specialistic knowledge, the medications can be easily distributed by schools. Rigourous research shows that deworming (process of treating people from parasites) improves children school attendance by 25% and their future earnings by 40%.[4] That’s as good return of a one-dollar investment as it gets.

There are exceptionally effective charities working on providing medications to those who need them. One of them is Schistosomiasis Control Initiative – a charity started at Imperial Collage London and supported by, among others, Bill and Melinda Gates. GiveWell.org, an organization that does thorough research on the effectiveness of various charities, estimated that Schistomiasis Control Initiative can deworm a child for a total of around $1.09.[5]

Another charity worth noticing is Deworm the World Initiative. It was originally co-founded by Michael Kremer, an economist from Harvard University. The organization helps governments develop school-based deworming programs. GiveWell estimated that in Kenya, the cost per child dewormed is about $0.71.[6]

You have the power to help with a few clicks

The world is rapidly changing. Today, not only governments, charities, or CEOs of large corporations can make a difference. Thanks to the development of the internet, electronic cash transfers, and even social media every person has an opportunity to help fight the parasites attacking children thousands of miles away. 

To help tackle the problem of schistosomiasis, we have partnered with over a thousand online stores, including eBay, Etsy, Aliexpress, Barnes&Noble, and developed a browser extension, so that every time you shop online in one of them, portion of the price you pay goes to charities fighting schistosomiasis. There are no extra costs for you – the donation is fully covered by the stores. 

All you need to do to is install the extension and click a button saying “activate donation” when shopping online. As simple as that.

Click here to find out more

What you can do to help

1. Donate to thouroughly vetted charities fighting schistosomiasis: Schistomiasis Control Intiative or Deworm The World Initiative
   
2. Install Altruisto browser addon, so that anytime you shop online, portion of the money you pay goes to charities fighting schistomiasis. No extra costs to you! Install Now
3. Share this website with your friends
   That’s the most important step – if every user of Altruisto shared it with 3 friends, we would be helping to cure thousands of children from snail fever in just a few short days.

References

1 http://www.who.int/en/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/schistosomiasis 

2 http://www.who.int/features/2015/rwanda-deworming-campaign/en/

3 https://www.cdc.gov/globalhealth/ntd/diseases/schisto_burden.html

4 https://www.povertyactionlab.org/scale-ups/deworming-schools-improves-attendance-and-benefits-communities-over-long-term

5 https://www.givewell.org/charities/Schistosomiasis-Control-Initiative

6 https://www.givewell.org/charities/deworm-world-initiative