Schistosomiasis

Schistosomiasis (also known as bilharzia or snail fever)
is a collective name of parasitic disease caused by several species of  trematodes  belonging to the genus Schistosoma.
Snail serve as the intermediary agent between mammalian hosts.
Individuals within developing countries who cannot afford proper water and sanitation facilities are often exposed to contaminated water containing the infected snails.
Although it has a low mortality rate, schistosomiasis often is a chronic illness  that can damage internal organs and, in children, impair growth and cognitive development.
The urinary form of schistosomiasis is associated with increased risks for  bladder cancer  in adults.
Schistosomiasis is the second most socioeconomically devastating parasitic disease after malaria.
Schistosomiasis is known as bilharzia or bilharziosis in many countries after German physician Theodor Bilharz who first described the cause of urinary schistosomiasis in 1851.The first doctor who described the entire disease cycle was Piraja da Silva in 1908.
It was a common cause of death forAncient Egyptians in the Greco-Roman Period.Later on disease seen in Japan, called
Katayama fever.
Schistosomiais is prevalent in tropical and sub-tropical areas, especially in poor communities without access to safe drinking water and adequate sanitation.
It is estimated that at least 90% of those requiring treatment for schistosomiasis live in Africa.
There are two major forms of schistosomiasis (intestinal and urogenital).