Abstract
Elimination of schistosomiasis as a public health problem among all disease-endemic countries in 2030 is an ambitious goal. Recent achievements resulting from mass drug administration (MDA) with praziquantel is promising but may need to be complemented with also other means. Schistosomiasis was highly prevalent in China before the initiation of the national schistosomiasis control program in the mid-1950s, and, at that time, the country bore the world’s highest burden of schistosomiasis. The concerted control efforts, upheld without interruption for more than a half century, have resulted in elimination of the disease as a public health problem in China as of 2015. Here, we describe the current status of schistosomiasis in China, analyze the potential challenges affecting schistosomiasis elimination, and propose the future research needs and priorities for the country, aiming to provide more universal insights into the structures needed for a global schistosomiasis elimination encompassing also other endemic regions.
Highlights
Schistosomiasis, caused by blood flukes of the genus Schistosoma that depend on snail intermediate hosts for their life cycle, is a neglected tropical parasitic disease of great public health and socioeconomic significance [1]
➢ Identification of high-risk settings using geospatial tools; ➢ Monitoring of domestic and wild animals in snail-infested marshlands using AI and unmanned aerial vehicles; ➢ Assessing the role of reservoir hosts in the local transmission of schistosomiasis using epidemiological tools; ➢ Development of assays for early and sensitive detection of S. japonicum infections in humans, livestock, and O. hupensis snails; ➢ Identification and tracking of high-risk populations using high-level internet connection and approaches based on machine learning
Rapid social and economic development during the past decades has brought with it striking achievements in the Chinese National Schistosomiasis Control Program
Summary
Schistosomiasis, caused by blood flukes of the genus Schistosoma that depend on snail intermediate hosts for their life cycle, is a neglected tropical parasitic disease of great public health and socioeconomic significance [1]. This zoonotic parasitic disease is estimated to affect around 240 million people in 78 tropical and subtropical countries across the world, with up to 780 million at risk [2]. For more than 30 years, the World Health Organization (WHO) has recommended a morbidity control strategy through mass drug administration (MDA) with the drug praziquantel [3] This approach has resulted in strong progress toward schistosomiasis elimination, as evidenced by a remarkable decline in prevalence and intensity of the disease [4,5].
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