Why schistosomiasis treatment in Zanzibar is shifting toward preschoolers
Schistosomiasis remains a major public health burden across endemic countries. In its latest schistosomiasis fact sheet, WHO said at least 253.7 million people required preventive treatment in 2024 and listed preschool-aged children among the at-risk groups who should be included in large-scale treatment where appropriate.
The treatment gap has only recently started to narrow. In September 2025, UNDP reported that Tanzania became the first country to grant regulatory approval for arpraziquantel, the first treatment developed specifically for preschool-aged children with schistosomiasis. Earlier, in March 2025, the Pediatric Praziquantel Consortium said the first preschool-aged child had received the new formulation, describing it as a 150 mg dispersible tablet designed for children ages 3 months to 6 years.
The latest funding is especially relevant for Zanzibar, where Unlimit Health says it has worked with the Ministry of Health since 2011 and supported 1.4 million schistosomiasis treatments during the 2025 mass drug administration. The charity also says all but one district on Unguja is endemic for urogenital schistosomiasis.
Schistosomiasis treatment builds on years of Zanzibar groundwork
The funding follows years of research and control work. Baseline findings published in 2013 documented persistent schistosomiasis in communities on both Unguja and Pemba before a major intervention trial began. In 2022, WHO updated its guidance on controlling and eliminating schistosomiasis, formally backing preventive chemotherapy for preschool-aged children alongside broader measures such as snail control and water, sanitation and hygiene interventions.
By late 2024, WHO’s TDR program was describing Tanzanian work on delivery models for pediatric praziquantel, including community engagement and mass drug administration strategies for children ages 2 to 5. That progression helps explain why the latest fundraising result matters: by 2026, the policy, drug development and delivery planning needed for preschool treatment are increasingly in place.
What the £100,236 boost means next for schistosomiasis treatment
According to the campaign listing, the Big Give appeal, which closed Dec. 9, 2025, raised £100,236 against a £100,000 target and said the money would support treatment for 20,000 children ages 3 to 5 through Zanzibar’s existing mass treatment system.
If the rollout works as planned, the payoff could extend beyond one campaign cycle. Reaching children before school age may reduce the burden of infection earlier, help protect growth and learning and strengthen Zanzibar’s longer-term push to move from control toward elimination.
