A decade after the conclusion of a schistosomiasis control program in Mali, prevalence of the disease had regressed to pre-intervention levels, according to a study published May 5 in the open-access journal PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases.
The researchers, led by Dr Archie Clements at the University of Queensland, found that clusters of schistosomiasis infections occurred generally in the same, original areas ten years after the end of a donor-funded control program, conducted between 1982 and 1992.
Tapeworm Infections - Intermediate Hosts
An intermediate host is one which is infected with a parasite that will not reproduce sexually within it while a definitive host is one in which the parasite reproduces within it
An intermediate host is one which is infected with a parasite that will not reproduce sexually within it while a definitive host is one in which the parasite reproduces within it
Mali is one of the first countries in sub-Saharan Africa to have initiated a national schistosomiasis control program, which began as a partnership between the Malian Ministry of Health, the WHO, and the German Technical Cooperation (GTZ). Lack of government funding curtailed the program's activities after 1998, until a new program, backed by the Schistosomiasis Control Initiative, began in 2004.
Clements and his co-authors undertook a comparative study of the spatial distribution of schistosomiasis in Mali between 1984-1989 and 2004-2006. They show that the spatial distribution of schistosomiasis was similar in both time periods, even in the face of large-scale control program based on mass distribution of anti-parasitic drugs.
Reining In Snails Could Help Control Schistosomiasis
New research gives that a parasitic infection common in China and Southeast Asia could be effectively diminished by controlling snail populations.
New research gives that a parasitic infection common in China and Southeast Asia could be effectively diminished by controlling snail populations.
"However, if these control program are to have a sustainable impact on the burden of schistosomiasis they must be delivered over a very long time period, or supplementary methods need to be implemented, such as improvement in water sanitation and hygiene," he said.
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Chemical Compounds Hold Promise for Treating Parasitic Worm Disease
Researchers have identified chemical compounds that hold promise as potential therapies for schistosomiasis, a parasitic disease that afflicts more than 200 million people worldwide.
Researchers have identified chemical compounds that hold promise as potential therapies for schistosomiasis, a parasitic disease that afflicts more than 200 million people worldwide.
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Links To Cross Species Evolution Of Malarial Parasite Traced Out!
The evolutionary relationship between human and rodent malarial parasites has been identified in a new study by the researchers at Sackler Institute for Comparative Genomics.
The evolutionary relationship between human and rodent malarial parasites has been identified in a new study by the researchers at Sackler Institute for Comparative Genomics.
