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Avoid the Water - Schistosomiasis May Be Worming Around

Blame this tropical disease on snails living and infecting bodies of water. Schistosomiasis may not be known in the United States but over 200 million people all over the world have intimate knowledge of this disease. Sometimes called Bilharzia, this nasty tropical disease is caused by parasitic worms just as many other tropical diseases are.

There are three types of Schistosoma worm that cause the disease Schistosomiasis in humans - S. japonicum, S. mansoni and S. haematobium. You can become infected when fresh contaminated water in which schistosome-carrying snails thrive comes in contact with your skin. People who have Schistosomiasis may infect fresh water areas when they have any body eliminations in the water which releases eggs from this parasitic schistosoma worm.

When the eggs hatch in the water, these parasites find their favorite snail hosts and develop inside their bodies. Then, the parasite will leave the snail when ready and can easily penetrate through your skin should you come in contact with it. Bathing, washing or swimming in contaminated water is enough to catch Schistosomiasis.

Within a few weeks, these parasitic worms grow within the blood vessels in your body and lay eggs. Some of the eggs migrate to the intestines and bladder where future body eliminations will spread the eggs and contaminate water sources.

Symptoms of Schistosomiasis

A few days after infection from the parasitic worms, you might get itchy skin or even a rash. It may take up to two months before chills, fever, muscle pain and coughing start up. For the most part, the schistosoma worm eggs travel through the bladder or intestine and pass out of the body. They may also travel through the liver, lungs and in rare cases, the spinal cord or brain.

What is interesting is that the symptoms of Schistosomiasis are not the reaction to the worms but rather the eggs they lay. People who become infected repeatedly could eventually end up with damaged internal organs.

Diagnosis and Treatment

If you become ill and you have traveled to a country where Schistosomiasis is prevalent, talk with your health care provider immediately. You will likely have to provide urine and stool samples so that a lab can test them for the parasitic worm eggs. A blood test is also available through the Centers for Disease Control but cannot be administered until up to 8 weeks after your last supposed contaminated water exposure.

Luckily, there are simple drug treatments to take to treat Schistosomiasis. However, a positive test result must show presence of the worm eggs. If you have traveled to Africa, the Caribbean, Southeast Asia, South America or the Middle East recently and you have some or all the symptoms of this Schistosomiasis, ask to be tested for it.

You can prevent contracting this parasitic worm and its eggs with a little due diligence. Don't swim in fresh water when in any of the listed areas above. Oceans and swimming pools are best. Do not drink water straight from any fresh water source, no matter what the locals are doing. Boil your water for at least a minute or filter it first. Do not depend on iodine water treatments for clean, parasite free water. Also, heat the fresh water for several minutes before bathing to help kill the parasites as well as viruses and bacteria that may be present.