How Removing Overgrown Water Plants Can Help Kids Stay Healthy and Improve The Planet

In Africa, many kids get sick from tiny worms called Schistosoma. These worms can slow children’s growth and development; damage the liver, intestines, and bladder; and sometimes lead to cancer or even death. Schistosoma can keep communities poor by reducing people’s ability to work. Over 800 million people are at risk of infection. People get infected when they play or wash in water filled with certain plants and snails. These plants grow fast because fertilizer from farmers’ fields washes into the water when it rains. We found that removing these plants can reduce Schistosoma. Plants that are removed can be turned into food for animals, compost for farms, or gas for cooking and electricity. This solution helps protect kids from getting sick and can even help to slow climate change. By working together, communities can clean their waterbodies and create a healthier, happier future, which is a win-win for people and nature.

Authors

Publication Details

Journal
Frontiers for Young Minds
Published
2025-06-16
DOI
https://doi.org/10.3389/frym.2025.1560703
Primary Topic
Child Nutrition and Water Access
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00
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article

How Removing Overgrown Water Plants Can Help Kids Stay Healthy and Improve The Planet

Meghan Forstchen, Jason R. Rohr, Sidy Bakhoum, Amadou T. Ly et al.
Frontiers for Young Minds
Child Nutrition and Water Access
article

How Removing Overgrown Water Plants Can Help Kids Stay Healthy and Improve The Planet

Meghan Forstchen, Jason R. Rohr, Sidy Bakhoum, Amadou T. Ly, Caitlin M. Wolfe, Molly Doruska, Nicolas Jouanard, Andrea J. Lund, David J. Civitello, Emily K. Selland, Giulio A. De Leo, Andrew J. Chamberlin, David López‐Carr, Alexandra Sack, Susanne H. Sokolow, Christopher B. Barrett, Momy Seck
article en

Abstract

In Africa, many kids get sick from tiny worms called Schistosoma. These worms can slow children’s growth and development; damage the liver, intestines, and bladder; and sometimes lead to cancer or even death. Schistosoma can keep communities poor by reducing people’s ability to work. Over 800 million people are at risk of infection. People get infected when they play or wash in water filled with certain plants and snails. These plants grow fast because fertilizer from farmers’ fields washes into the water when it rains. We found that removing these plants can reduce Schistosoma. Plants that are removed can be turned into food for animals, compost for farms, or gas for cooking and electricity. This solution helps protect kids from getting sick and can even help to slow climate change. By working together, communities can clean their waterbodies and create a healthier, happier future, which is a win-win for people and nature.

Frontiers for Young MindsVol. 13
Openalex Percentile: Top 83%
Child Nutrition and Water Access
DOIOpen Access PDFOpenAlex
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How Removing Overgrown Water Plants Can Help Kids Stay Healthy and Improve The Planet — Meghan Forstchen, Jason R. Rohr, et al. · Frontiers for Young Minds (2025) | TGRS Research Map | TGRS