Bilharzia is a parasitic infection caused by schistosomes found in some snails in certain parts of the world. Symptoms include rash, flu-like symptoms, and bloody urine. Treatment is available, but prevention is key, and swimming in fresh water should be avoided in affected areas. Improving sanitation is the only potential cure.
Bilharzia or schistosomiasis is a parasitic infection caused when humans come into contact with schistosomes, which are types of worms that are normally carried by some types of snails. Contact usually occurs in fresh water sources and ingestion is not necessary. Instead, the worms can invade the skin and travel to other parts of the body, causing significant illness.
It is important to note that bilharzia does not occur in all parts of the world. People who could get this parasitic infection live in or travel to places such as parts of Asia, South America, the Middle East, Africa or some of the Caribbean islands. Schistosomiasis is not likely to occur in North America or most of Europe, usually due to more comprehensive sanitation methods and cooler climates.
After bilharzia infection, it can become severe. When the worms enter the body, they start laying eggs and these hatched eggs travel to other parts of the body. The infection can spread to the spleen, lungs, bladder, kidneys, liver, and sometimes the brain.
The symptoms of bilharzia are very different from the parasitic infections of many other travellers. Most people first notice a rash, but many don’t show symptoms until a few months after exposure. As the worms spread through the body, many systems could be affected, but mostly some people experience flu-like symptoms with fever and pain. This could be followed by diarrhea if the worms are in the intestines, and others may note bloody urine as the main symptom. Where the worms are present in the body makes a difference in what symptoms emerge.
Some people go for years with untreated bilharzia and the parasite can continue to invade the body. This is when it is likely to start impacting major organs and could cause things like impaired breathing or seizures. To avoid this scenario, it is important to detect early symptoms, particularly if they have followed bathing, wading or bathing in fresh water in any of the identified areas listed above.
Schistosomiasis is imminently treatable with drugs such as praziquantel. More support may be needed if the infection is long-lasting and there has been damage to major organs. Most medical experts agree that treatment is important, but prevention is even more helpful.
When traveling to areas far from home, it is not recommended to swim in fresh water, both lakes and rivers. Some areas ensure water is safe by treating it with substances that kill slugs and worms, but generally, it’s better to be safe than sorry. The no swimming rule is unfortunate because many tropical areas have beautiful lakes that are extremely inviting. Given the possible consequences, though, staying out of the water and only choosing ocean water for swimming makes more sense.
In areas where sanitation creates this problem, the only potential cure is to improve it. Often, when bilharzia occurs regularly in indigenous peoples, sanitation efforts are not yet at peak efficiency. This is often due to poverty and an inability to fund such efforts.
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