Bilharzia also known as schistisomiasis is water borne disease caused by a parasite. The parasite belongs to family of flatworm called Schistisoma. This disease is mainly found in developing countries having tropical or subtropical climate. There are many species of schistisomes, of these Schistisoma mansoni, S. hematobium and S.japonicum are three most common human pathogens. Worldwide over 200 million people are affected with bilharzia. The disease is common in southern and northern Africa and countries of East Asia. The parasite enters in skin when a person comes in contact with fresh water that is contaminated with human feces and urine containing the germs.
Causes of Bilharzia:
Bilharzia is a parasitic disease mainly affecting people living in subtropical and tropical region.
Bilharzia Symptoms:
Once the Bilharzia parasite enters in the skin of an exposed person, it produces an itchy rash at the entry point. This is often called swimmer’s itch. The transient urticarial skin reaction is often called Katayam fever. It develops mainly among people who visit in endemic areas. Itching spontaneously subsides within few days. After one or two months, the infected person experiences fever, chills, cough, pain in abdomen, intermittent diarrhea or blood stained stool and blood in urine.
In chronic Bilharzia it is the egg of the parasite that produces the symptoms. Actually the body reacts to the worm’s eggs that are hatched in liver, intestine and bladder. If left untreated patient may develop several complications involving liver, spleen and urinary bladder. Suffering from schistosoma parasite for long duration can increase the risk of bladder cancer and infertility.
Children are often affected with Bilharzia. They are known to suffer from anemia, growth retardation, and difficulty in school performance.
Diagnosis and Treatment:
Diagnosis of Bilharzia is based on demonstration of eggs in stool and urine. It may also be obvious in rectal and bladder biopsy. In many cases repeated stool and urine examination is required. Blood test is also sometime done for diagnosis.
Treatment:
Bilharzia can be treated with medications. There are effective medications against the parasite that may completely annihilate the pathogen from the body. Reinfection is possible if the patient gets exposed to infected water once again. Hence after every 3 to 6 months patient has to reexamine his stool and urine samples for the eggs. Besides the use of conventional medicines, home remedies also act as adjuvant therapy in treating the condition. Garlic, pumpkin seeds, turmeric, Acacia myrrh etc are some of the natural herbs that may help to expel the parasite with their antibacterial and anti helminthic properties.