Coping with intestinal illness among the Kamba in Machakos, Kenya, and aspects of schistosomiasis control.

In a hyperendemic schistosomiasis mansoni area in Machakos District, Kenya, the Kamba use modern and traditional health services interchangeably with similar results. Schistosomiasis oral drug therapy administered through the Schistosomiasis Research Project reportedly achieved significantly higher cure rates than hospital and health center treatment, which in turn was not more effective than traditional medicine. Kamba knowledge and perceptions of the causes of intestinal illness, several types of preventive behavior, the role of women as health promotors, development of community water supplies and the utilization of plant molluscicides are briefly evaluated for possible use in the planned national schistosomiasis control program.