|
|
Article: River parasite eats at children: Neglected scourge in Africa is cheap and easy to treat, but the `pennies cannot be found'.
- Article from:
- Chicago Tribune (Chicago, IL)
- Article date:
- March 14, 2007
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2007 Chicago Tribune. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
|
Byline: Colleen Mastony
Mar. 14--NASARAWA, Nigeria -- Flowing through the shantytowns and yam fields of this dust-choked region, the River Uke glimmers like a mirage, tiny white diamonds of sunlight dancing on its surface. As the temperature rises to 100 degrees, wiry boys run to the river and leap into its waters.
Ask the people of Nasarawa, and they say the river is the center of their lives. But the water hides a debilitating scourge: schistosomiasis, a disease spread by microscopic parasites that live in the river, burrow through skin and slowly infect organs, stunting children's growth and sometimes causing death.
The solution, experts ...