How likely is it that I have Bilharzia?

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I was in South Africa (KZN) recently and I swam in a freshwater lake... Since I've been back I've had bad abdominal pains, every few hours, and diarrhea. The pain is getting more frequent.

I know that the KwaZulu Natal region has a problem with Bilharzia (Schistosomiasis) and now I'm worried that I've got it. I know it was stupid to swim in a lake that wasn't meant for swimming in - how likely am I to have contracted the illness from it?
It is possible - but nothing to get too excited about. Get tested and get treated. It is easy to cure - but don't wait.  (+ info)

why doesn't your immune system work?

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hey everyone,

i would like to know why bilharzia (schistosomiasis) is not dealt with by the body's immune system?

thank you for any help :)
  (+ info)

Granulomas are typically seen in association with all of the following EXCEPT:?

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1) Schistosomiasis
2) Talc inhalation
3) Tuberculosis
4) Pneumococcal pneumonia
4  (+ info)

What's one disease caused by flatworms?

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Other than schistosomiasis?
Does anyone have an actual name of a disease?
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NURSING DIAGNOSIS..with our prioritization, what possible nursing diagnosis?

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Im having my DUTY as a student nurse in the ICU of our local hospital.and i just need everyone's help. i need this prioritization for my nursing diagnosis.
my patient's DIAGNOSIS are 1. Acute Respiratory failure related to Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease 2. Decompensated Liver disease secondary to schistosomiasis.
can somebody help me with it.thanks
First and foremost, did he or does he smoke? Does he have asthma? If he is lying down all day, he needs to walk. Lying down can and will cause fluid on the lungs. The respiratory dept should be doing therapy on him, he needs O2 at all times. Now, here's the biggie. Schistosomiasis also known as bilharzia or snail fever is a parasitic disease. It has a low mortality rate. I is a chronic illness that can damage interanl organs and in this case, the liver. It is also associated iwht increased frishs for bladder cancer in adults. It is the second most socioeconomically devastating parasitic disease after malaria. This disease si most commonly found in Asia, Africa, and South America. especially in areas where the water contains numerous freshwater snails which my carry the parasite. So in your study, ask the patient if he has visited any of these countries. Not all species affect humans. Those that do are Schistosoma mansoni and schistosoma intercalatum which affects the intestines. Another human form is schistosoma haematabium' causes urinary schistosomiasis This disease is found in tropical countries in Africa, the Caribbean, eastern South America , Southeast Asia and in the Middle East. The most common way of getting this disease is by wading, swimming in lakes, ponds or other bodies of water that contain the contaminated snails
Here are some of the symptoms that can also cause the other problems and be misdiagnosed.
Abdominal pain, cough, diarrhea, extremely high white blood cell count, fever, fatigue, hepatosplenomegaly-enlargement of both the liver and the spleen. Occasionally central nervous system lesions occur; which may be caused by ectopic eggs in the brain and lesions around ectopic eggs in the sinal cord from S. mansoni and S haematobbium infections.
The newly transformed schistosomulum may remain in the skin for 2 days before locating a post capillary venule' from here the disease travels to the lungs where it undergoes further developmental changes necessary for subsequent migration to the liver. 8-10 days after penetraiton of the skin, the parasite migrates to the liver sinusoids Parasite mature in 6-8 wks, at which time they begin to produce eggs. There is so much information that I just can't write all of it. however, you can see why this person is in ICU, why he is having respiratory problems. All this from snails So, I'm going to give you the web site OK. As a nurse, I know how important these diagnoses are and boy, they gave you a beauty. Good luck. Here's the web site. Wikipedia.org/wiki/schistosomiasis. All I did was put in schistosomaiasis and got a whole bunch of web sites. You may want to do that instead. Phew, I'm pooped and have writer's cramp Hope you do good.  (+ info)

how to solve cameroons problems?

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HIV/AIDS
dengue fever
filariasis, leishmaniasis, malaria, meningitis, schistosomiasis, and sleeping sickness
  (+ info)

Has anyone used a parasite's genome map to design a genetic control or poison to eradicate the parasite.?

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African trypanosomiasis. Commonly called sleeping sickness, this disease is caused by a parasitic microbe transmitted by tsetse flies. If untreated, the parasite migrates to the central nervous system, causing seizures, mental disorders and, ultimately, death. As many as 70,000 people are infected in Central and East Africa.


American trypanosomiasis. Commonly called Chagas disease, this disease is caused by a parasitic microbe transmitted by blood-sucking bugs. It can cause organ damage. The parasite infects about 13 million people, mostly in Latin America.


Hookworm. Human hookworm infection is caused by intestinal worm parasites transmitted to humans from contaminated soil. It causes internal blood loss and is the world's leading cause of anemia and protein malnutrition, particularly in pregnant women and children. More than half a billion people in poverty-stricken areas of Africa, Latin America, Southeast Asia and China are infected.


Leishmaniasis. This disease is caused by a parasitic microbe transmitted by sand flies. It can cause skin lesions and swelling of the spleen and liver. More than 12 million people are infected in Africa, Asia, Europe and the Americas.


Lymphatic filariasis. Commonly called elephantiasis, this parasitic worm disease is spread by mosquitoes. It can lead to disabling swelling of the legs and other body parts. About 120 million people are infected throughout Asia, Africa, the Western Pacific, South America and parts of the Caribbean.


Malaria. This disease is caused by a parasitic microbe spread by mosquitoes. Each year, malaria infects at least 300 million people living in tropical regions. It can cause brain damage or death if red blood cells infected with malaria parasites build up in the brain's blood vessels. The annual death toll is about 1 million people, many of whom are children under age 5 and pregnant women.


Onchocerciasis. Commonly called river blindness, this parasitic worm disease is spread by black flies. It can cause extreme itching, sores on the skin and blindness. The parasite infects about 18 million people, mostly in Africa, but also in Latin America.


Schistosomiasis. Also known as bilharzia or snail fever, this parasitic worm disease is transmitted by snails that live in fresh water. It can impair growth, cause severe anemia and lead to kidney and liver malfunctions. More than 200 million people are infected, mostly in Africa and Asia.
A respectable number of parasite genomes have been mapped.

http://www.genomenewsnetwork.org/resources/sequenced_genomes/genome_guide_p1.shtml

Has anyone yet succeeded in designing a control to from knowledge of the parasite genome?
As far as Schistosomiasis, it was just completed over the summer. Hopefully drugs to follow. see more here: http://bactiman63.blogspot.com/2009/07/genetic-code-to-schistosomes-complete.html  (+ info)

What is schistosomiasis?

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A parasitic disease. See the attached link.  (+ info)

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