Paediatric treatment for parasitic disease launched in Zimbabwe

Schistosomiasis is a parasitic disease that left untreated can lead to severe health complications, and affect growth and learning in children with lifelong consequences. 

One of the most prevalent parasitic diseases in the world, it is the first time that a child-friendly treatment is being integrated into a national public health programme.

Africa bears over 90% of the global burden, with more than 200 million people infected and many more at risk.

Effective treatment

For decades, national schistosomiasis control programmes treated only school-aged children, as it was assumed preschoolers (those aged 5 and below) had minimal exposure to infection and low burden of the disease.

Collaborative work by led by Professor Francisa Mutapi in the School of Biological Sciences, first demonstrated that pre-school age children could become infected with schistosomiasis and that the drug Praziquantel was a safe and efficacious treatment for this age group.

The disease is caused by worms transmitted through contact with freshwater contaminated with the parasite’s infective stages. Children can become infected during everyday activities such as bathing, swimming, or collecting water.

Since the 1970s, schistosomiasis has been treated with the drug Praziquantel in adults and children above the age of six. But the safety and efficacy of the drug had not been evaluated in young children aged 5 years and below.  

20 years in the making

Although the World Health Organisation (WHO) recommended treating preschool children for schistosomiasis in 2012, the only available drug was a large, bitter tablet difficult for young children to swallow.

Professor Mutapi's work, combined with work of TIBA and drug development work by the Pediatric Praziquantel Consortium, has meant that a paediatric formulation of the drug Praziquantel has now been developed for children under the age of six.

The paediatric tablet was developed by Astellas Pharma Inc. in Japan, with the process subsequently optimized by Merck in Germany.

The new paediatric formulation of Praziquantel is a 150mg tablet that is dispersable in water. The tablets are small, allowing precise dosing, and taste better making them more palatable for preschool-age children.

Rolling out paediatric Praziquantel

In January 2026, TIBA alongside Zimbabwe’s Ministry of Health and stakeholders including local government representatives, funders, members of the Paediatric Praziquantel Consortium and community members launched paediatric Praziquantel in Zimbabwe.

Zimbabwe is now the first country in southern Africa to deploy the treatment, with Tanzania following in February 2026 following the initial roll out in Uganda in 2025.

In both Tanzania and Zimbabwe, the treatment of paediatric schistosomiasis will be integrated in national control programmes for neglected tropical diseases (NTDs).

Improving global child health

It is estimated that 50 million children under six are infected with schistosomiasis, therefore the launch of paediatric Praziquantel will aid global efforts to eliminate schistosomiasis and improve child health.

Next steps include a nationwide rollout in Zimbabwe through routine child-health and immunisation services, training frontline health workers in administering the drug, and community awareness campaigns to inform about schistosomiasis.