Saturday 26 May 2012

60 pct of Mwanza residents, infected with bilharzia - study

From IPP Media/The Guardian, Dar es Salaam
By The Guardian Reporter

About 60 per cent of schoolchildren and adults in Mwanza region are infected with bilharzia, according to a new study carried out by Score Project under the National Institute for Medical Research (NIMR).

The study was carried out in 150 villages surrounding Lake Victoria in Mwanza region,

NIMR acting director for Mwanza Centre Dr Mansuet Temu revealed this yesterday during a meeting with Score Project stakeholders.

He said the study, which started in 2010, was carried out in 37 villages in Magu district, nine villages in Ilemela, seven villages in Nyamagana, four villages in Misungwi, 55 villages in Sengerema and 38 in Geita.

Dr Temu said a total of 27,926 schoolchildren and 5,446 adults were tested and 60 per cent were diagnosed to have been infected with the disease. He said statistics showed that every 10 people tested, six were diagnosed to have been infected with bilharzia.

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Thursday 24 May 2012

MV Victoria runs for 20 years without major maintenance

From The Citizen Daily, Dar es Salaam
By Joas Kaijage, The Citizen Correspondent

The MV Victoria (photo), which travels on Lake Victoria between Bukoba and Mwanza ports, has not undergone major maintenance for over two decades, The Citizen has learnt.

But Mr Beatus Mghamba, the spokesman of  Marine Services Company, which operates the ship, said the 52-year-old vessel was still in good shape and safe for ferrying passengers and cargo.

Mr Mghamba, who doubles as the ship’s captain and the acting manager of the firm’s Mwanza branch, said in an exclusive interview with The Citizen that the vessel last underwent major maintenance between 1990 and 1991.

He said this preceded similar work on the MV Mwongozo in Lake Nyasa and MV Liemba in Lake Tanganyika in 1992 and 1993, respectively.

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Read also: Treat Lake Travel more seriously - From The Citizen Dayly.

Saturday 19 May 2012

Let's nip in the bud this kind of fishing

From The Citizen Daily, Dar es Salaam

Reports that fishermen in some parts of regions bordering Lake Victoria are using poison to catch fish are cause for grave concern.It was recently revealed that the consumption of fish caught through the use of chemicals is a major cause of cancer and reproductive complications.

It is a sobering reminder of a problem that has existed for years, but which has yet to be accorded the urgency it deserves by the relevant agencies.It is common knowledge that unscrupulous fishermen around Lake Victoria and even along the coast use pesticides and other harmful chemicals to catch fish, which is sold to unsuspecting consumers.

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Monday 14 May 2012

Leased Air Tanzania plane arrives in Dar

From The Citizen Daily, Dar es Salaam
By The Citizen Reporter

Leased Air Tanzania Company Limited (ATCL) Boeing 737-500 arrived in Dar es Salaam on Sunday night. Acting ATCL managing director Paul Chizi said at the Julius Nyerere International Airport that operations would resume after a week.

To start with, he said, the plane would be flying on Dar es Salaam-Mwanza-Kilimanjaro routes as plans are being charted for using it for international flights.

The plane, with 108 seats, has been leased from Aero Vista of Dubai, and it was checked in Egypt before it was certified.

“Tanzanians should expect the best services that they have missed for some time. We need their support like it was in the past. We’ll provide timely and affordable services,” he said.

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