Novel Disease Pamphlet Essay

Disease Information

Schistosomiasis commonly known as Bilharzias or snail refers to a parasitic illness caused by flatworms called schistosomes. The first incident of Schistosomiasis was recorded in 2014. The disease results from contact with fresh contaminated water comprising the parasitic flatworms. The illness comes from infected freshwater snails. The illness mostly affects children from developing nations because of their potential to play in contaminated water (Nyati-Jokomo Chimbari, 2017). People interacting with unclean water, farmers, and fishermen are the vulnerable group. People who suspect that they have the illness require undertaking urine or stooling tests. Antibodies against the blood of the diseased individuals can also confirm the presence of the illness.

Incidents and Prevalent Rate of the Disease

Schistosomiasis mainly affects the intestines or the urinary tract of the human body. A patient reports light rashes or tingling sensation at least after 12 hours. Patients with the condition depict bloody stool, abdominal pain, blood in the urine, or even diarrhea. If not treated early, Schistosomiasis might damage body organs, including Kidney, liver, or even the bladder causing cancer of the bladder while some people even experience infertility. Schistosomiasis kills between 4,400-200,000 people annually. In 2015, approximately 252 million people globally were affected by Schistosomiasis.

Contributing Factors

The main factors causing Schistosomiasis involve fishing, playing, walking, bathing, or swimming in unclean water bodies. An infected person releases the Schistosoma eggs in water through urine or fecal matter, which thrives for 48 hours before finding a human host (Kulinkina et al. 2017).

Campaign for Action

I would urge all residents in the areas prone to snail fever to reduce the number of snails in the area and try to access clean water. Similarly, I consider the administration of Praziquanteln (Kulinkina et al. 2017) once a year to families and groups residing in areas with inadequate access to clean water.

References

Kulinkina, A. V., Kosinski, K. C., Plummer, J. D., Durant, J. L., Bosompem, K. M., Adjei, M. N., ... Naumova, E. N. (2017). Indicators of improved water access in the context of schistosomiasis transmission in rural Eastern Region, Ghana. Science of the Total Environment, 579, 1745-1755. doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2016.11.140

Nyati-Jokomo, Z., & Chimbari, M. J. (2017). Risk factors for schistosomiasis transmission among school children in Gwanda district, Zimbabwe. Acta Tropica, 175, 84-90. doi.org/10.1016/j.actatropica.2017.03.033