In bladder bilharzia or schistosomiasis, due to Schistosoma haematobium, the most characteristic symptom is the passing of blood in the urine at the end of micturation, with or without scalding pain or irritation.
There may also be full pain in the bladder region. In intestinal bilharzia or schistosomiasis (due to Schistosoma mansoni the most frequent symptom is the passage of blood and mucus in the stools.
The parasite (like the hookworm) can live in the body for many years and in some cases causes anaemia and severe debility due to complications.
Schistosomiasis is a disease endemic throughout almost all of Africa, the northern part of South America, and parts of the Middle East. Another type of the disease occurs in the Far East. It is especially common in agricultural areas which rely on irrigation.
Note that only a small number of people infected are likely to attend hospitals because many are symptom free. However, if infection is heavy there can be serious complications with scarring of the bladder and ureters, or cirrhosis of the liver, and these can lead to death.
Bilharzia Cause
A small worm called Schistosoma. There are three kinds of this bilharzia worm:*. Schistosoma mansoni: which is the cause of the bowel disease in South America and Africa.
*. Schistosoma haematobium: found in many parts of Africa, and
*. Schistosoma japonicum: which occurs in the Far East.
Source. The eggs are excreted in the urine or in the stools.
Bilharzia Route
The egg, on reaching water, for example a river, canal, or lake hatches and a baby parasite (miracidium) comes out of the egg. This enters a suitable snail, and then when it has multiplied in the snail emerges to another form (cercaria), which can swim and enter human through skin, when they are bathing, swimming or wading, or working in infected waters.They migrate through the blood stream and ultimately reach the small vessels of the bladder or rectum where the female lays her eggs if she has found a make partner. The eggs are then passed in urine or stools and if they reach water, the whole cycle begins again if the correct type of snail is also present.
Bilharzia Susceptibles
People bathing or wading in infected water are more opened to danger of having this disease.Children are usually exposed from about 5 or 6 years old, when they are allowed to bathe or swim, and so the disease is especially common in schoolboys.
Bilharzia Treatment
In treating bilharzia, antimony preparations of various kinds are used, and there are also newer drugs such as Ambilhar.Treatment of cases of bilharzia is also part of the control programme as this prevents living eggs from being passed at all.
Treatment should be given in hospital depending upon the localisation of the disease, and decided individually by the doctor.
Bilharzia Prevention
It is very difficult to eliminate the snails from natural waters but poisons called molluscicides are being developed which will kill these only and not the fish.Health education and environmental sanitation are also necessary. But it will be a very long time before sanitation is so improved that it will be difficult for snails to become infected.
Therefore, the only way of avoiding the disease is not to bathe or swim in infected lakes, rivers, water-holes, ponds, canals, or irrigation channels.
The provision of alternate safe source of water would also help. Probably a combination of the use of molluscicides and treatment of all cases would be the most effective means of control of bilharzia especially in areas with irrigation schemes.
