Many people with schistosomiasis don't have any symptoms, or don't experience any for several months or even years.
If the eggs pass out of the body into water, they release tiny larvae that need to grow inside freshwater snails for a few weeks before they're able to infect another person. This means it's not possible to catch the infection from someone else who has it. Without treatment, the worms can keep laying eggs for several years. Some eggs remain inside the body and are attacked by the immune system, while some are passed out in the person's pee or poo. Once in your body, the worms move through your blood to areas such as the liver and bowel.Īfter a few weeks, the worms start to lay eggs. You can become infected if you come into contact with contaminated water – for example, when paddling, swimming or washing – and the tiny worms burrow into your skin. Showers that take unfiltered water directly from lakes or rivers may also spread the infection, but the worms aren't found in the sea, chlorinated swimming pools or properly treated water supplies.
The worms that cause schistosomiasis live in fresh water, such as: The infection can be easily treated with a short course of medicine, so see your GP if you think you might have it. You often don't have any symptoms when you first become infected with schistosomiasis, but the parasite can remain in the body for many years and cause damage to organs such as the bladder, kidneys and liver.
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The Travel Health Pro website has a map of where schistosomiasis is found. The parasite is most commonly found throughout Africa, but also lives in parts of South America, the Caribbean, the Middle East and Asia. Schistosomiasis, also known as bilharzia, is an infection caused by a parasitic worm that lives in fresh water in subtropical and tropical regions.