{"id":44882,"key":"Schistosomiasis","title":"Schistosomiasis","latest":{"id":1207265,"timestamp":"2025-11-27T21:53:25Z"},"content_model":"wikitext","license":{"url":"https://www.appropedia.org/Appropedia:Copyrights","title":"CC-BY-SA-4.0"},"source":"'''Schistosomiasis''' (or '''bilharzia''') is a serious disease caused by a parasitic worm.{{W|helminth}} The parasite must be carried by snails as part of its life cycle, and the disease has been introduced into new regions through large [[irrigation]] projects which bring year-round water to regions which would naturally have a dry period. The year-round water allows the snails to flourish without a die-off,\n\nWhile it is little known in developed countries, it is ranked by the [[World Health Organization]] as the second most socioeconomically devastating parasitic disease, after [[malaria]]. There are hundreds of millions infected worldwide.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs115/en/index.html|publisher=World Health Organization|title=Schistosomiasis Fact Sheet|accessdate=10 August 2011}}</ref><ref name=\"CDC\">{{Cite web|name=\"CDC\"|url=http://www.cdc.gov/parasites/schistosomiasis|publisher=Centers for Disease Control and Prevention|title=Schistosomiasis|accessdate=10 August 2011}}</ref> It is classed as a Neglected Tropical Disease.<ref name=\"CDC\" />\n\n== Prevention ==\n\n* Allowing a time for fields to dry out can reduce snail populations and break the life-cycle.\n* Preventing [[human waste]] from entering waterways where snails may live. This includes urination (depending on the variety of schistosome).\n* Avoiding unnecessary skin contact with water where there is a risk of the disease. Providing alternative swimming facilities for children is important, though often unaffordable. Preventing human waste from entering the water may be more affordable, but it is impossible to completely prevent the release of urine while swimming.\n* The farming of water animals which eat the parasite, such as prawns.<ref>[http://www.guardian.co.uk/global-development/poverty-matters/2012/dec/30/prawn-farms-senegal-schistosomiasis How prawn farms in Senegal are combating schistosomiasis], ''The Guardian'', 30 December 2012.</ref>\n\n== Notes ==\n\n<references />\n\n== External links ==\n\n* [[wikipedia:Schistosomiasis]]\n\n{{Page data\n| license = CC-BY-SA-3.0\n| keywords = Irrigation, Water-borne diseases\n| sdg = SDG03 Good health and well-being\n}}\n\n[[Category:Irrigation]]"}