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Intestinal Schistosomiasis And Its Possible Prevention And Control
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CHAPTER ONE
1.0 INTRODUCTION
1.1 DESCRIPTION OF SCHISTOMIASIS
,
also known as bilharzia, snail fever, and Katayama fever, is a disease
caused by parasitic flatworms of the schistosomatype. The urinary tract
or the intestines may be infected. Signs and symptoms may include
abdominal pain, diarrhea,(Akpinar, 2012). Bloody stool, or blood in the
urine. In those who have been infected a long time, liver damage, kidney
failure, infertility, or bladder cancer may occur. In children, it may
cause poor growth and learning difficulty (Antounet al., 2005).
The
disease is spread by contact with fresh water contaminated with the
parasites. These parasites are released from infected freshwater snails.
The disease is especially common among children in developing countries
as they are more likely to play in contaminated water(Akpinar, 2012).
Other high risk groups include farmers, fishermen, and people using
unclean water during daily living. It belongs to the group of helminth
infections. Diagnosis is by finding eggs of the parasite in a person’s
urine or stool. It can also be confirmed by finding antibodies against
the disease in the blood (Duke, 2002).
Methods to prevent the disease
include improving access to clean water and reducing the number of
snails.(Duke,.2002) In areas where the disease is common, the medication
praziquantel may be given once a year to the entire group. This is done
to decrease the number of people infected and, consequently, the spread
of the disease. Praziquantel is also the treatment recommended by the
World Health Organization(WHO) for those who are known to be infected
(Akpinar, 2012)..
(Antounet al., 2005) Schistosomiasis affected
almost 210 million people worldwide as of 2012. An estimated 12,000 to
200,000 people die from it each year. The disease is most commonly found
in Africa, as well as Asia and South America. Around 700 million
people, in more than 70 countries, live in areas where the disease is
common. In tropical countries, schistosomiasis is second only to malaria
among parasitic diseases with the greatest economic impact.
Schistosomiasis is listed as a neglected tropical disease(Akpinar,
2012).
Schistosomiasis is caused by infectious trematode worms of
the genus Schistosoma. There are five schistosome species known to
infect humans: S. haematobium (identified in 1852), S. japonicum (1904),
S. mansoni (1907), S. intercalatum (1934), and S. mekongi (1978). In
2011, an estimated 243 million people in 78 countries were living in
areas of high risk for the disease. The African region is the most
affected, with 42 countries endemic for the infection, followed by the
Eastern Mediterranean region with 16 countries affected. Schistosomiasis
was also endemic in 10 countries in the region of the Americas, six in
the Western Pacific regions, and three in the Southeast Asian region and
in Turkey, the only country affected in the European region.
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ABSRACT - [ Total Page(s): 1 ]Schistosomiasis is a neglected tropical disease that ranks second only to malaria in terms of human suffering in the tropics and subtropics. Five species are known to infect man and there are currently over 240 million people infected worldwide. The cornerstone of control to date has been mass drug administration with 40 mg/kg of praziquantel but there are problems with this approach. Human and bovine vaccines are in various stages of development. Integrated control, targeting the life cycle, is ... Continue reading---
