Human schistosomiasis in India?
It was a common belief in the first half of this century that human schistosomiasis would not become established in India, despite the regular introduction of the disease by soldiers returning from active campaigns. This was based on the absence of known intermediate hosts for Schistosoma spp, yet in 1952 a focus of human schistosomiasis was discovered in Gimvi village, Ratnagiri District, Maharashtra State. The focus seems to be in recession, but the proposed large irrigation schemes centering upon the Narmada River may exacerbate schistosomiasis in domestic stock, and possibly in humans. Here, Vaughan Southgate and Matesh Agrawal discuss the findings in Gimvi, and the possibilities of human schistosomiasis in India in the future.
Department of Zoology, The Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, South Kensington, London SW7 5BD, UK.
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Southgate
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Agrawal