Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine 159d ago

New research led by Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine (LSTM) warns that hybrid forms of the parasites that cause schistosomiasis are undermining existing disease control strategies and could accelerate the spread of infection in Africa and beyond. Schistosomiasis is a disease caused by water borne schistosome parasites that affects more than 200 million people worldwide, causing chronic illness, disability and, in severe cases, life threatening organ damage. Despite decades of large-scale control programmes based on mass drug administration, transmission remains stubbornly persistent in many settings, particularly where people depend on freshwater for daily activities.