An outbreak of schistosomiasis in travellers returning from endemic areas: the importance of rigorous tracing in peer groups exposed to risk of infection
| Autor: | Grant Franklin, S.P. Bramwell, Bhavan Prasad Rai, Ola Blach, Ken Oates |
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| Rok vydání: | 2011 |
| Předmět: |
Adult
Male medicine.medical_specialty Malawi Adolescent Endemic Diseases International Educational Exchange Schistosomiasis Fresh Water Asymptomatic Schistosomiasis haematobia Young Adult Age Distribution Risk Factors Environmental health parasitic diseases medicine Animals Humans Child Students Schistosoma Aged Schistosoma haematobium Travel biology business.industry Risk of infection Public health Public Health Environmental and Occupational Health Infant Newborn Outbreak Infant Peer group General Medicine Middle Aged biology.organism_classification medicine.disease Surgery Scotland Urinary Bladder Neoplasms Child Preschool Female medicine.symptom business |
| Zdroj: | Journal of public health (Oxford, England). 34(1) |
| ISSN: | 1741-3850 |
| Popis: | Background Each year, schools across Scotland send their students on exchange programmes to Malawi. Between 2005 and 2009, 22.8% of Scotland’s new cases of schistosomiasis were from freshwater exposure in Malawi, with 41.5% diagnosed in 15–24 year olds. In January 2011, a 17-year-old male presented to our urology department with visible haematuria following freshwater exposure during a school trip to Malawi. He was subsequently diagnosed with urinary schistosomiasis. Methods The potential involvement of other individuals from the trip prompted further public health enquiry. The school, public health department and education authorities were notified promptly and all individuals potentially exposed to Schistosoma haematobium were invited for screening. Results All 21 participants of the exchange programme underwent serological screening. Thirteen tested positive for Schistosoma infection. Only two individuals displayed symptoms of schistosomiasis; the other 11 were asymptomatic. Conclusions Infection rates, even following a limited exposure to S. haematobium, are high. The majority of seropositive cases may never have symptoms. Therefore, a history of foreign travel to endemic schistosomiasis areas should be sought from any young person presenting with visible heamaturia and appropriate tests instigated. Schools should adopt policies forbidding activities involving freshwater exposure in Malawi. Effective public health measures must be set in place to trace and treat any other possible cases of exposure. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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