2 June 2026
When Moussa* talks about schistosomiasis, he does so from first-hand experience.
Moussa is a primary school pupil in Côte d’Ivoire. Like many children in rural communities, water is part of his everyday life. It is where children gather, swim, and play, especially during hot days after school.
What Moussa didn’t know was that the water he and his friends swam in was contaminated with the schistosome parasite.
At first, the infection gave no warning.
“When it hit me, I didn’t know,” he explains. “When I peed, it didn’t hurt.”
Then, one day, that changed. He began to feel pain when urinating. Soon after, he noticed blood.
“The second time when I peed, blood came out.”
When Moussa told his mother, she recognised it came from the water. The water the children swam in was infested with the snails that carry the parasite. What had seemed like harmless play had exposed Moussa and his friends to schistosomiasis, a disease that often goes untreated until it causes harm.
Left untreated, schistosomiasis can lead to chronic pain, anaemia, organ damage, missed schooling, and long‑term health consequences, especially for children.
Moussa is a primary school boy from Côte d’Ivoire with experience of schistosomiasis. Treatment supported by Unlimit Health, working together with the Ministry of Health, ensures that children like him live free from parasitic disease. Image by: Unlimit Health/Nuits Balnéaires.
Treatment that reaches children who need it
Moussa and his mother went to the health facility.
“We were given tablets for free,” Moussa says.
The treatment worked. The pain stopped. The bleeding stopped. Moussa recovered and so did his friends.
A boy receives a praziquantel tablet during a mass drug administration campaign in Côte d’Ivoire supported by Unlimit Health to protect communities from parasitic disease. Image by: Unlimit Health/Nuits Balnéaires.
After recovering, he began warning other children.
“I told my friends they must not swim in this water anymore.”
When health workers came to his community to deliver treatment, Moussa was ready. There, they received praziquantel tablets at no cost—part of a mass drug administration (MDA) programme delivered through Unlimit Health’s partnership with the Ministry of Health.
“The agents came to give us tablets. We took them.”
Alongside treatment, children received clear messages about avoiding unsafe water, helping turn treatment into long‑term prevention.
Why donor support matters
Moussa’s story shows what donor investment makes possible:
Because of the treatment, Moussa is healthy, back in school, and playing again. Through partnership and donor support, one child’s frightening experience became a moment of protection—for his friends and his community.
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