SASAKAWA MEMORIAL HEALTH FOUNDATION
SENPAKU SHINKO BLDG. 1-15-16, TORANOMON, MINATO-KU, TOKYO 105-0001
PHONE:81-3-3508-2201/ FAX:81-3-3508-2204
9 May 1999
H.E.Dr. Mam Bunheng
Under Secretary of State
Ministry of Health
No.151-153 Avenue Kampuchea Krom
Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
Re:The Cambodia-Japan Medical cooperation Project for the Control of Schistosomiasis in Northeast Cambodia.
Dear H.E.Dr. Mam Bunheng,
Sasakawa Memorial Health Foundation dispatched Professor Hajime Matsuda and Dr. Hidehiro Otake to Cambodia, for the period from 21st April to 12th May to collaborate with the Ministry of Health, National Malaria Centre (CNM), Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) and the local staff involved in Schistosomiasis Control in Kratie and Stung Treng Provinces. Taking this opportunity, sincere appreciation is expressed to you for your kind arrangements for our field surveys.
We stayed in Kratie for 4 days (23-26 April), in Kampong Cham for 1 day (27April) and in Stung Treng for 8 days (30 April-7 May). Malacological, seroepidemiological and ultrasonographic surveys were carried out along the Mekong River in excellent cooperation with Dr. Suon Seila from CNM, Dr. Chuong Seng Ly from Kratie Provincial Health Department, who gave up their holidays and joined with us throughout the present survey.
Main equipment donated from the foundation to MOH in this Fiscal Year 1999 are:
One generator (Yamaha ET650, 450VA, 220V) and one unit of isolating transformer (CASIO's, 520VA, 120V-240V) for Stung Treng PHD.
1. Ultrasonographic surveys
Since ultrasonography was found to be very useful diagnostic tool in schistosomiasis on not only S.haematobium and S.mansoni, but S.japonicum that is known to be closer to S .mekongi than others are.We brought the ultrasonographic equipment (Fukuda denshi UF-4000) with a convex type of probe (FUT-C111A 3.5MHz 60R) and a video graphic printer (Sony UP-890MD) that belong to the Department of Medical Zoology, Dokkyo University School of Medicine, from Japan to the respective fields in two provinces of Cambodia. We were able to conduct ultrasonographic examinations in three villages in Stung Treng province(Kaing Cham, Sdau and Hang Khosuon) and one village in Kratie province (Sambok) and to examine the total of 143 persons who are in mostly adults in age. We were able to find 33 untreated schistosomiasis patients on the certain stages of Ohmae' classification that is widely used in shistosomiasis japonica. 7 untreated patients of them in Hang Khosuon were treated in Praziquantel (40mg/kg body weight) just following after diagnosis was made. 21 untreated patients in Kaing Cham and 5 untreated patients in Sdau were endorsed to the staff physician in provincial MSF (Medecins Sans Frontieres) office to be treated by the mobile team as soon as possible.
Although the network patterns that was pathognomonic in advanced stage in S.japonicum were not observed at all. It is still premature to say schistosomiasis mekongi will show no network appearances in any stages.
