Abstract
BackgroundSchistosomiasis is a global snail-transmitted infectious disease of poverty. Transmission control had been achieved in China in 2015 after the control efforts for over 60 years. Currently, the remaining core regions endemic for Schistosoma japonicum are mainly located in the marshland and lake regions along the Yangtze River basin.MethodsDuring the period from 2001 through 2015, an integrated environmental improvement of the marshlands was carried out through the implementation of industrial, agricultural and resources development projects in Yizheng County along the Yangtze River. S. japonicum infection in humans, livestock and snails was estimated by serology, stool examination, hatching technique and microscopy during the 15-year study period to evaluate the effect of the integrated environmental improvement on control and elimination of schistosomiasis.ResultsA 0.05% overall rate of S. japonicum infection was observed in snails during the 15-year study period, and no infected snails were detected since 2012. The overall prevalence of S. japonicum infection was 0.09% in humans during the study period, and no human infection was found since 2012. In addition, only 13 bovines were identified with S. japonicum infection in 2003 during the 15-year study period, and since 2004, no infection was found in livestock.ConclusionThe results of the present study demonstrate that the implementation of industrial, agricultural and water resources development projects, not only alters snail habitats in marshland regions, and promotes local economic development, which appears a win-to-win strategy to block the transmission of S. japonicum and accelerate socio-economic development along the Yangtze River.
Highlights
Schistosomiasis is a global snail-transmitted infectious disease of poverty
Since the initiation of the national schistosomiasis control program at early 1950s [11,12,13], schistosomiasis control has been given a high priority in China [14, 15], and multiple integrated strategies have been proposed according to the epidemiological profile and intensity of transmission, which have resulted in a great success in schistosomiasis control in the country [16]
We evaluated the effect of this integrated environmental improvement of the marshlands on control and elimination of schistosomiasis in marshland regions of Yizheng County along the Yangtze River, China, from 2001 to 2015
Summary
Schistosomiasis is a global snail-transmitted infectious disease of poverty. Transmission control had been achieved in China in 2015 after the control efforts for over 60 years. According to the environmental ecosystems and snail habitats, schistosomiasis-endemic regions are classified into three types in China, including marshland and lake regions, plain regions with waterway network, and hilly and mountainous regions [7], and a “infection control-transmission control-transmission interruptionelimination” four-stage roadmap has been developed [8,9,10]. By 2015, transmission control of schistosomiasis has been achieved across the country [33], indicating less than 1% S. japonicum infection in both humans and livestock, no local acute infections, and no infected snails for successive 2 years throughout the country [34,35,36]
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