Encyclopedia of Schistosomiasis

Schistosomiasis is another term for the disease of Bilharzia. This book is a result of the contributions made by renowned researchers dealing with schistosomiasis. It provides latest research and relevant information for the benefit of concerned people. Schistosomiasis, also known as blood fluke disease, is a parasitic disease in nature and is caused by helminthes from a genus of trematodes entitled Schistosoma. It is one of the diseases enlisted in the Global Plan to fight against Neglected Tropical Diseases and even World Health Organization (WHO) has declared it next to malaria as a devastating parasitic disease. According to WHO, the number of people residing in endemic areas are more than 700 million out of which at least 200 million are severely affected. Also, more than 200,000 people die annually because of Schistosomiasis and this terrible disease is also the causative agent in the loss of nearly 4.5 million disability-adjusted life years (DALYs).