What Is Schistosomiasis?

By james

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Water is essential to us. We need it in order to survive, while it is also important for our personal hygiene. That, and large bodies of water like lakes and rivers can also be a lot of fun. As important as water is for us, however, it is still important to be careful around it because it is not without its risks.

One risk associated with water is that it can harbor many pathogens if it is not properly treated. These pathogens can make us feel quite ill if they were able to infect our bodies. They can also be quite dangerous for us. One example of a disease caused by a waterborne pathogen is schistosomiasis.

1. Schistosomiasis

Schistosomiasis is a disease that is also known as bilharzia. It is caused by a species of parasitic worm that is found living in fresh water in some parts of the world. It is not found in the United States and it is usually only caught by people from developed countries that go travelling to where the parasite is present.

Being infected by the parasite will often not cause any symptoms. Even when symptoms do arise, they will usually pass within a couple of weeks or so. Schistosomiasis can cause serious problems in some cases, however, so it should be treated as soon as it is detected. Treating the condition is relatively straight forward.