Ecce Opus

Ecce Opus We produce image-led projects with the world's most forward-thinking organisations to tell visual stories with depth, empathy and honesty.

Find out more about us and how we work at https://ecceopus.com/about/

Dear friends,We hope that this finds you safe and well, wherever you are.In the two years since we last wrote, much has ...
20/09/2022

Dear friends,

We hope that this finds you safe and well, wherever you are.

In the two years since we last wrote, much has changed - as many of you will know - and we are getting in touch today to bring you our last piece of news as EO.

Due to the pressures of the pandemic and the shifting landscape of our work, we have made the decision to amicably close Ecce Opus as a company and continue our work separately.

Working closely together as EO has been a fruitful and creative season for us, both personally and professionally, and we want to sincerely thank you for following our journey. Your support and collaboration was vital and invigorating and we are deeply grateful for you.

We're not hanging up our cameras just yet, so if you'd like to continue following us in our separate endeavours, please do reach out using the links below.

Sending our best wishes,

Marcus and Tom

Marcus
Web: marcusperkins.co.uk
Email: [email protected]

Tom
Web: tomalprice.com
Email: [email protected]
Instagram:
Newsletter: https://bit.ly/talpnews

Snail Fever (12/12). Contaminated water continues to threaten communities around the world. But as global programmes to ...
18/12/2020

Snail Fever (12/12). Contaminated water continues to threaten communities around the world. But as global programmes to eliminate schistosomiasis gather pace, we can begin to see a future where Manyazewal and millions like him, will no longer be at risk from this disease.

To see the whole story, visit our website linked in the bio.

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Snail Fever is a story produced for , a major partner in the global campaign to eliminate neglected tropical diseases, spearheaded by the World Health Organisation.

Snail Fever (11/12). Following treatment, Manyazewal is recovering well. His mother, Mekides, tells us her son will soon...
16/12/2020

Snail Fever (11/12). Following treatment, Manyazewal is recovering well. His mother, Mekides, tells us her son will soon be back at school.

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Snail Fever is a story produced for , a major partner in the global campaign to eliminate neglected tropical diseases, spearheaded by the World Health Organisation.

Snail Fever (10/12) Behind the many light hearted moments lays a real sense of faith under the leadership of Demissei We...
14/12/2020

Snail Fever (10/12) Behind the many light hearted moments lays a real sense of faith under the leadership of Demissei Weldemariam, the head of the protestant church in South Bench.

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Snail Fever is a story produced for , a major partner in the global campaign to eliminate neglected tropical diseases, spearheaded by the World Health Organisation.

Snail Fever (9/12). Saturday afternoon is usually a time to relax in the villages. Woman prepare each other’s hair for c...
11/12/2020

Snail Fever (9/12). Saturday afternoon is usually a time to relax in the villages. Woman prepare each other’s hair for church the following day, an important religious and social event for the whole community.

Pastor Getachew at the Mesertkiristos church delivers a traditionally enthusiastic sermon. Churches play a vital role in community cohesion and in rural areas have become trusted partners in the sharing of public health information, including information about the control of schistosomiasis.

Girls conceal their laughter during one of the sermon’s more humorous moments.

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Snail Fever is a story produced for , a major partner in the global campaign to eliminate neglected tropical diseases, spearheaded by the World Health Organisation.

Snail Fever (8/12). On a hill near Manyazewal’s home, stands an experimental and revolutionary latrine. The floor is slo...
09/12/2020

Snail Fever (8/12). On a hill near Manyazewal’s home, stands an experimental and revolutionary latrine. The floor is sloped so it can be washed by the heavy rains of the region. The latrine also incorporates a clever ventilation system operating on negative pressure in the pit to control odours and a fly trap to reduce local transmission of other diseases.

Once the design is perfected through consultation with the community, the latrines will be built by local people using materials that are easy to find and simple to maintain.

This inclusive community approach is essential to the success of any WASH (water, sanitation and hygiene) programme. In turn, these programmes are fundamental to the eventual elimination of schistosomiasis and other neglected tropical diseases.

Snails are intermediary hosts in the transmission of schistosomiasis. Despite having a reputation as slow movers, snails and their larvae can travel relatively large distances when washed down rivers on loose vegetation, making vector control a challenge.

Regular checks for the presence of snails in watercourses used by local communities are necessary, as illustrated by this government worker in Zanzibar. If the count is above a level considered safe, the water will be treated with a biodegradable molluscicide to control snail numbers.

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Snail Fever is a story produced for , a major partner in the global campaign to eliminate neglected tropical diseases, spearheaded by the World Health Organisation.

Snail Fever (7/12). Advice around infected water is often followed, but it's still not known whether splashing water - w...
07/12/2020

Snail Fever (7/12). Advice around infected water is often followed, but it's still not known whether splashing water - which is impossible to avoid - can lead to infection.

In remote areas where literacy levels can be low, producing clear guidance on how to combat schistosomiasis can be a challenge. Local health extension workers meet to discuss illustration styles to ensure locally produced materials can be understood by all.

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Snail Fever is a story produced for , a major partner in the global campaign to eliminate neglected tropical diseases, spearheaded by the World Health Organisation.

Snail Fever (6/12). Schools in the area are reassuringly full, and are regularly visited by health workers to educate th...
04/12/2020

Snail Fever (6/12). Schools in the area are reassuringly full, and are regularly visited by health workers to educate the children about health and hygiene.

This time a stool-surveying team visit from Mizan Tepi university. They use humour to engage children, encouraging them to consider providing a stool sample to gauge the prevalence of schistosomiasis in the area - and to identify individuals who may require immediate treatment.

Stool samples are prepared and assessed by the team back at the university.

Based on the stool survey results, if schistosomiasis is considered to be a public health concern in a particular area, schools will be targeted for a mass drug administration (MDA) to treat all the children simultaneously. Health extension worker, Medina Ali Adem, informs students at Mizan No 2 School about an upcoming MDA.

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Snail Fever is a story produced for , a major partner in the global campaign to eliminate neglected tropical diseases, spearheaded by the World Health Organisation.

Snail Fever (5/12). For somebody so young, Ergoya Gebre’s position as deputy head of the Mizan health centre is consider...
02/12/2020

Snail Fever (5/12). For somebody so young, Ergoya Gebre’s position as deputy head of the Mizan health centre is considered unusual, and an inspiration to others in her community.

When Manyazewal was brought to the health centre feeling unwell, it was Ergoya who arranged for him to be diagnosed and treated.

Treatment is necessary to control schistosomiasis, but treatment alone cannot eliminate it. Long-term behavioural change is also necessary.

The World Health Organisation is recommending an integrated approach to eliminate schistosomiasis globally. Four key components of this strategy are:

Treatment: Providing testing and access to drugs for the communities who need it.

Education: Awareness to prevent infection, transmission and re-infection.

WASH: Developing sustainable access to Water, Sanitation and Hygiene.

Vector control: Measures to control snails that act as intermediary hosts in the transmission of schistosomiasis.

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Snail Fever is a story produced for , a major partner in the global campaign to eliminate neglected tropical diseases, spearheaded by the World Health Organisation.

Snail Fever (4/12). Bench Maji is best known as a coffee growing region supplying well-known brands in the west. But lit...
30/11/2020

Snail Fever (4/12). Bench Maji is best known as a coffee growing region supplying well-known brands in the west. But little of this coffee wealth seems to trickle down to the local people, most of whom are subsistence farmers.

Many families live in basic conditions, often in homes made of wood and mud. A mother prepares a fire for cooking. Today’s menu will include local turnips.

Despite the obvious challenges of a subsistence lifestyle, families and the many local communities across Bench Maji share a strong bond and do their best to support each other.

The Ethiopian coffee ceremony is a regular part of community life, bringing friends and neighbours together. Invitations are wonderfully simple: if you smell coffee being roasted, you're invited.

Very few people have access to clean running water in their own homes, so they use nearby rivers and lakes instead. This increases the risk of infection with schistosomiasis if the watercourse is contaminated.

It is difficult for children to avoid infections in this type of environment. Nine-year-old Manyazewal has a confirmed case of schistosomiasis. If left untreated the condition can lead to a series of acute health complications and knock-on effects impacting all aspects of his development.

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Snail Fever is a story produced for , a major partner in the global campaign to eliminate neglected tropical diseases, spearheaded by the World Health Organisation.

Snail Fever (3/12). Mizan is the largest town in Bench Maji. It has a distinct frontier atmosphere and is an important t...
27/11/2020

Snail Fever (3/12). Mizan is the largest town in Bench Maji. It has a distinct frontier atmosphere and is an important trading centre for subsistence farmers and traders who travel in from miles around to buy and sell wares and produce.

When the sun goes down, the town’s atmosphere changes as the youth gather and hang out late into the night.

The rainy season lasts for nine months of the year, but when the rains stop, the damp air is quickly replaced by dust.

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Snail Fever is a story produced for , a major partner in the global campaign to eliminate neglected tropical diseases, spearheaded by the World Health Organisation.

Snail Fever (2/12). Bench Maji lies in the tropical south-west of Ethiopia extending to the border with South Sudan. Wit...
25/11/2020

Snail Fever (2/12). Bench Maji lies in the tropical south-west of Ethiopia extending to the border with South Sudan. With poorly developed infrastructure and a rainy season lasting nine months of the year, the area is a hotspot for neglected tropical diseases including schistosomiasis, a parasitic worm infection contracted through infected rivers and watercourses.

Endemic in 78 countries across Africa, Asia and parts of South America, the disease leads to acute health complications and the deaths of an estimated 200,000 people annually.

Schistosomiasis infections primarily affect the urinary and intestinal system, causing chronic ill health and in some cases death. Water-based activities such as swimming, washing and fishing make school-age children the most vulnerable, with infection responsible for malnutrition, absenteeism, and impaired intellectual development.

Children suffering from persistent and severe schistosomiasis infections are also likely to have chronic irreversible diseases later in life, such as scarring (fibrosis) of the liver, bladder cancer, or kidney failure.

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Snail Fever is a story produced for , a major partner in the global campaign to eliminate neglected tropical diseases, spearheaded by the World Health Organisation.

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