Impact of preventive chemotherapy in transforming the fight against soil transmitted Helminthic in Zanzibar: A literature review

In Zanzibar, helminth infections caused by polluted soil have been acknowledged as a public health issue since the early 1990s. Nearly 90% of cases were caused by helminth infections that are spread through the soil. There were control initiatives from the 1990s to the 2000s using Preventive Chemotherapy. When the effect of these Preventive Chemotherapy initiatives was evaluated by surveys comparing the general prevalence, Unguja Island witnessed a decline of 39.2% from 98.9% in 1994 to 59.7% in 2007, while Pemba saw a drop from 100% to 80% by 2021. These control initiatives resulted in a discernible decline in prevalence in Unguja, while there is still a significant incidence in Pemba.