Schistosomiasis prevention

Schistosomiasis Microchapters

Home

Patient Information

Overview

Historical Perspective

Classification

Pathophysiology

Causes

Differentiating Schistosomiasis from other Diseases

Epidemiology and Demographics

Risk Factors

Screening

Natural History, Complications and Prognosis

Diagnosis

History and Symptoms

Physical Examination

Laboratory Findings

Electrocardiogram

X-ray

Echocardiography and Ultrasound

CT scan

MRI

Other Imaging Findings

Other Diagnostic Studies

Treatment

Medical Therapy

Surgery

Primary Prevention

Secondary Prevention

Cost-Effectiveness of Therapy

Future or Investigational Therapies

Case Studies

Case #1

Schistosomiasis prevention On the Web

Most recent articles

Most cited articles

Review articles

CME Programs

Powerpoint slides

Images

American Roentgen Ray Society Images of Schistosomiasis prevention

All Images
X-rays
Echo & Ultrasound
CT Images
MRI

Ongoing Trials at Clinical Trials.gov

US National Guidelines Clearinghouse

NICE Guidance

FDA on Schistosomiasis prevention

CDC on Schistosomiasis prevention

Schistosomiasis prevention in the news

Blogs on Schistosomiasis prevention

Directions to Hospitals Treating Schistosomiasis

Risk calculators and risk factors for Schistosomiasis prevention

Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]

## Prevention

[edit | edit source]

### Societal Measures

[edit | edit source]

The main focus of prevention is eliminating the water-borne snails which are natural reservoirs for the disease. This is usually done by identifying bodies of water, such as lakes, ponds, etc., which are infested, forbidding or warning against swimming and adding niclosamide, acrolein, copper sulfate, etc., to the water in order to kill the snails.

Unfortunately for many years from the 1950s onwards, despite the efforts of some clinicians to get civil engineers to take it into account in their designs, civil engineeers built vast dam and irrigation schemes, oblivious of the fact that they would cause a massive rise in water-borne infections from schistosomiasis, even though with a little care the schemes could have been designed to minimise such effects, the detailed specifications having been laid out in various UN documents since the 1950s. Irrigation schemes can be designed to make it hard for the snails to colonise the water, and to reduce the contact with the local population. [1]

Failure for engineers to take this into account is an interesting example of the Relevance Paradox and is a good example of the failure of formal education and information systems to transmit tacit knowledge.

### Hygiene

[edit | edit source]

Prevention is best accomplished by eliminating the water-dwelling snails which are the natural reservoir of the disease. Acrolein, copper sulfate, and niclosamide can be used for this purpose. Recent studies have suggested that snail populations can be controlled by the introduction or augmentation of existing crayfish populations; as with all ecological interventions, however, this technique must be approached with caution.

Individuals can guard against schistosomiasis infection by avoiding bodies of water known or likely to harbor the carrier snails.

In 1989, Aklilu Lemma and Legesse Wolde-Yohannes received the Right Livelihood Award for their research on the sapindus-Plant (Phytolacca dodecandra), as a preventative measure for the disease.

## References

[edit | edit source]

1. ↑ Charnock, Anne (1980) Taking Bilharziasis out of the irrigation equation. New Civil Engineer, 7 August. 1980 Bilharzia caused by poor civil engineering design due to ignorance of cause and prevention