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What Is Schistosomiasis?

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Schistosomiasis, snail fever, has infected 240 million people in about 78 countries. This disease is found predominantly in subtropical and tropical climates, such as Africa the Caribbean, South America, East Asia, and the Middle East. This is one of five varieties of the parasite schistosoma that are carried by fresh water snails. Schistosomiasis is the second most common parasitic disease. If uncured, children with this chronic disease may suffer from malnutrition and anemia, which can lead pervasive learning disabilities (Global Network).

Background
This disease is caused by a blood trematode, a flatworm that can survive in two hosts. It is spread through the water (CDC, 2012). Once a person gets in contact with freshwater that …show more content…

First thing that a physician will do is examine the stool and/or urine for ova of the parasite. It is crucial that one review’s the patients travel and residency history to cross check if they were near the species that might be causing this infection. Another diagnostic test that should be taken is a serologic testing for antischistosomal antibody, which diagnoses travelers or immigrants who have not been treated appropriately for schistosomiasis in the past that are from endemic areas. Serologic tests usually detect antibodies of the adult parasitic worm.
However, if this is a new infection than the patient must receive a serum sample that should be collected six to eight weeks after infection, for the parasite and its antibody to fully develop into the adult stage. To treat the disease there are effective and safe medications in the market to treat both intestinal and urinary schistosomiasis. The patient would take praziquantel, a prescription medication, which is taken for 1-2 days to treat the infection (CDC, 2012).

Prevention …show more content…

These men, who were employed by home builders to work on the construction of country houses, restaurants, and hotels, came to this city from endemic areas of the northeast of Minas Gerais State. After a workday they showered, unknowingly, in a nearby-infected river. They used this one river to bathe and dispose fecal matter since, they lived in improvised shelters without sanitary facilities. Unexpectedly, This river supplied a local swimming poo, in which the population was already infected. The snails from that s infected the Local Water. It then entered the skin of the workers and infected them. Apart from the 50 people who were infected an estimated number of four to six million residents in Brazil and battling this infection. The disease is prevalent in 519 of the 853 municipalities in Minas Gerais State. In this state alone approximately 1000000 people are infected among the 10870063 who live the area (NIH,

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