A slide show on Schistosomiasis.

1. It is an acute and chronic disease that is caused by a parasitic
worm. Other names include: Bilharzia, snail fever and katayama
fever. This may affect the intestinal or urinary system.

2.  It is next to malaria among parasitic diseases in
tropical areas.
 More than 210 million people are infected worldwide
and 85% of these people are in Africa.
 Children are mostly at risk because they are fond of
playing in water.
 Over 200,000 people die of the disease every year.
 It is endemic in Africa and also found in Asia, South
America and the Caribbean.
 Nigeria has the highest burden of the disease
worldwide.

4.  It is caused by a type of blood
fluke worm.
 It belongs to genus
Schistosoma.
 The species that affects man
includes
1. S. haematobium
2. S. japonicum
3. S. mekondi
4. S. mansoni
 The males and female are
often seen attached together.

5.  Swimming or using water infected with cercaria.
 Poor Sanitation
 Presence of implicated host such as the fresh water
snail and a right condition.
 Presence of infected reservoir host like pigs.

6.  Some fresh water snails
have been implicated.
 Bulinus spp, oncomelania
spp, biomphalaria spp and
lymnaea spp can act as
intermediate host for the
worm.
 In the snail, the miracidia
becomes sporocysts
which undergo several
asexual multiplication to
become cercaria.

8.  Two type of Schistosomiasis occurs, though both
may occur simultaneously.
1. Intestinal Schistosomiasis(IS)
2. Urinary Schistosomiasis(US)
 During IS the schistomulae find their way into the
mesenteric venuoles around the intestine and inside
the intestinal wall.
 The matured Schistosoma lay eggs with sharp
spines in the inner walls of the intestine.

9.  As the young and adult worms move within the
lumen and venuoles the cause damage to the lining
of these body tissues
 The eggs has spikes that can compromise the
tissues where they are embedded.
 During US the young adult find its way to the veins
around the bladder and the within the bladder tissue
where it develops to adult worm.

10.  The adult worms lay spiky eggs within the inner walls
of the bladder.
 Their movement also compromise the bladder
tissues.
 All these have an adverse effect on the infected
individual’s system and so he comes down with the
disease.

11.  Severe loss of blood
 Fever
 Bloody urine and feces
 Bladder cancer
 Memory loss and
stunted growth in
children.
 Infertility, abortion and
failure of the bladder etc

12.  Major cause of bladder
cancer in Nigeria.
 Memory loss in kids and
low IQ.
 Stunted growth in
children
 Death
 Absence of children in
school.

13.  There is treatment for the disease.
 Control of snail population is paramount
 Proper sanitation is important
 Practice of good hygiene is important
 There is need to raise awareness about the disease
especially in the rural areas.
 Staying away from dirty water or rivers where the
snails could be present.