Is there anyone who can tell me what schistosomiasis is? I friend came back from China and now it is in hospital. I called yesterday to ask what is going on and they told me that he has schistosomiasis, so they have to keep him in hospital for a while.
Schistosomiasis is a parasitic disease that leads to chronic ill health. Schistosomiasis is the major health risk in the rural areas of China and Egypt and continues to rank high in other developing countries. The worms responsible for the disease were eventually discovered in 1851 by a young German pathologist. Schistosomiasis is indicated by the presence of blood in the urine or in the case of intestinal schistosomiasis, by initially atypical symptoms. This can lead to serious complications involving the liver and spleen. The main forms of human schistosomiasis are caused by five species of the flatworm.