Schistosomiasis is one of the most devastating diseases affecting in particular Sub-Saharan Africa. It belongs to the group of the so called Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTD), which globally affect more than 1 billion people. The adjective “neglected” means that a disease has been eradicated in most of the developed countries, but it is still widespread in the poorer ones. Schistosomiasis is a water–based disease because the complex life cycle of its causative parasite involves contact with water where the intermediate hosts (snails of genus Biomphalaria or Bulinus) live.
Mapping Schistosomiasis Risk in the Saint Louis region, Senegal