Beware of dipping your legs in natural fresh water bodies like rivers, streams, dams, lakes etc.

Immediately you notice irritation, rash on your legs, pain on urination and blood in the urine, please seek medical attention, because these may lead to kidney failure, uraemia, bladder cancer and sometimes infertility in women among others.   This could be caused by Schistosomiais or Bilharzis, called  “atosi aja” in Yoruba language. It is ranked second to malaria among parasitic diseases. It has affected at least 230 million people worldwide and estimated 779 million people at risk worldwide with more than 95% of all infections concentrated in Africa. Collation of peer - reviewed journals and reports on schistosomiasis in Nigeria revealed that it is endemic in 35 out of 36 states in the country including the Federal capital territory Abuja. Lack of knowledge and perspective of people as led to high prevalence of this “man made” infection. 

Transmission:  eggs are excreted by an infected person via urine, feaces, hatch in the presence of light and release a tiny parasite called miracidium.  Miracidium finds its way to a suitable fresh water snail (intermediate host). Inside the snail the miracidia reproduces many times and form a cercariae which break out of the snail into the water.  When human being gets in contact with this water, the cercariae penetrates the skin which sometimes results in rashes and irritations on the leg (Fig. 1). Thus it reaches out to the blood vessels and a new life cycle/transmission begins. 

Prevention and control should be focused mainly on (1) educating individuals / population to prevent transmission. (2). Curing of infected persons, by use of drugs like praziquantel .   (3). Control of vectors- snail intermediate hosts: environmental management, molluscicides and biological agents.  (4) Protective vaccination.

Prevention is better than cure!