Contact for 10 seconds can cause infection, and severe cases can cause liver damage! The recent high incidence of the virus has caused the China Centers for Disease Control to issue a series of warnings →

As spring arrives and the temperature rises, are you planning to pack your gear, set up camp, go for an outing to enjoy the flowers, and catch shrimps in the water?

Wait a minute! Recently, the China Center for Disease Control and Prevention has issued a series of reminders to prevent schistosomiasis!

Schistosomiasis can be contracted at any time of the year, but is most likely to occur from April to October . The risk of infection is greater in spring and summer, so be careful when going out in the water to prevent infection with schistosomiasis .

What is schistosomiasis?

Schistosomiasis is an infectious, endemic and naturally zoonotic parasitic disease caused by schistosomes parasitizing humans or mammals. It is a neglected tropical parasitic disease that is prevalent worldwide and seriously affects human health and socio-economic development.

Schistosomiasis japonicum is prevalent in China and is caused by infection with Schistosoma japonicum . It is a statutory Class B infectious disease. If it is not treated in time or not cured, it will develop to the late stage, and organs such as the liver will be damaged , leading to portal hypertension, hepatosplenomegaly, ascites and other symptoms. The person's appearance will become skinny and the belly will be as big as a drum , so it is also called "big belly disease".

Copyright images in the gallery. Reprinting and using them may lead to copyright disputes.

Infection occurs within 10 seconds of contact

Schistosoma japonicum is a trematode that parasitizes the blood vessels of vertebrates , also known as Schistosoma japonicum. There are seven main types of schistosoma that can parasitize humans and cause disease, namely Schistosoma japonicum, Schistosoma mansoni, Schistosoma haematobium, Schistosoma intercalatum, Schistosoma mekongi, Schistosoma malayi and Schistosoma guineensis. Among them, the first three are the most widely distributed and the most harmful.

The development of schistosoma japonicum is divided into seven stages: egg, miracidium, mother sporocyst, daughter sporocyst, cercaria, schistosoma and adult. The cercaria is the stage that can infect humans. The cercaria can invade the human body after contacting the human body surface in water. Experiments have shown that host animals can be infected as long as they come into contact with cercariae for 10 seconds.

Blood-sucking worms are different from schistosoma

When people talk about blood-sucking worms, they often refer to leeches, also known as leeches , which are external parasites that feed on blood or carrion. They are long, flat, and slightly spindle-shaped, with two suckers in front and back that can attach to the surface of humans and animals. Leeches live in paddy fields, rivers, rice fields, lakes, ditches, and shallow dirty ponds. They are distributed all over China and there are many species.

Leeches. Copyrighted images from the gallery. Reproduction may lead to copyright disputes.

Attention! How Schistosoma is spread

People or animals infected with schistosomiasis pass feces containing schistosomiasis eggs into the water ;

The water contains snails , the intermediate hosts of schistosomiasis transmission, which produce cercariae that can infect humans. Humans become infected when they come into contact with water containing cercariae (infected water).

It is easy to mistake infection for a "cold"

Some patients may experience a tingling sensation on their skin after contact with infected water, followed by the development of papules and itching .

· After 1 to 5 days , you may have a cough (which can be easily mistaken for a cold) . Repeated infections may cause more severe lung symptoms.

After an incubation period of 30 to 60 days , symptoms such as fever, liver enlargement and peripheral blood eosinophilia will appear, accompanied by tenderness in the liver area, splenomegaly, cough, abdominal distension and diarrhea. If not treated in time, severe cases may lead to death , and most patients will enter the chronic infection stage.

Repeated infection without proper treatment may lead to advanced schistosomiasis.

How to prevent and treat schistosomiasis?

1

How to prevent schistosomiasis?

The direct cause of infection with schistosomiasis is contact with water containing schistosome cercariae (infected water). Therefore, avoiding contact with water that may contain schistosome cercariae and using water safely are the keys to avoiding infection.

When contact with infected water is necessary for production and life, you can prevent infection with schistosomiasis by wearing protective equipment (rubber gloves, rubber shoes, rubber clothing, rubber pants, etc.), applying protective cream (agent), and taking preventive medication.

2

How to treat infection?

When you inevitably come into contact with infected water and develop symptoms such as fever or have been away from the water for a month , you should take the initiative to go to a schistosomiasis prevention and control agency or a disease prevention and control agency for examination for diagnosis and treatment.

If infection is confirmed, praziquantel is the only oral anti-schistosomiasis drug that is highly effective, low-toxic, and easy to use and widely used in schistosomiasis-endemic areas. When taking the drug, you should follow the doctor's instructions and strengthen follow-up.

It is spring now, so be sure to take precautions when traveling!

Planning and production

Source: Guangming.com, compiled from Beijing Daily, China CDC official microblog, Guangzhou Daily, Yangtze Evening News

Review丨Zhang Yu, Researcher, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Doctor of Medicine

Editor: Zhong Yanping

Proofread by Xu Lailinlin