[Effect of environmental change in marshland after implementation of Three Gorges Reservoir Project on schistosomiasis in Jiangsu Province].
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the effect of environmental change in marshland after the implementation of the Three Gorges Reservoir Project on schistosomiasis in Jiangsu Province.


METHODS
The hydrologic data of Nanjing City in Jiangsu section of the Yangtze River, and the data regarding the marshlands, the snail status and schistosomiasis morbidity in areas adjacent to the Yangtze River in Jiangsu Province were collected, and field snail surveys were performed in typical marshlands.


RESULTS
Following the implementation of the Three Gorges Reservoir Project, the water level in Nanjing section of the Yangtze River appeared a year-dependent gradual decline tendency. The mean peak water level on January to March, 2012 (spring) increased by 0.41 m as compared to that before the construction of the project in 2002, while the peak water level on April to December, 2012 decreased by 0.32 m as compared to that before the construction of the project in 2002. The endemic situation of schistosomiasis showed a decline tendency in areas adjacent to the Yangtze River in Jiangsu Province. The area with infected snails along the Yangtze River was 0, the positive rates of serological tests and parasitological tests of the population were 0.73% and 0.004%, respectively in 2012.


CONCLUSIONS
Both the schistosomiasis morbidity and snail status appear a decline tendency in areas adjacent to the Yangtze River along the lower reaches of the Yangtze River, Jiangsu Province after the implementation of the Three Gorges Reservoir Project.
Jiangsu Institute of Schistosomiasis, Key Laboratory on Technology for Parasitic Disease Prevention and Control, Ministry of Health, Jiangsu Provincial Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology of Parasites, Wuxi 214064, China.
Wei
W
Li
Jiangsu Institute of Schistosomiasis, Key Laboratory on Technology for Parasitic Disease Prevention and Control, Ministry of Health, Jiangsu Provincial Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology of Parasites, Wuxi 214064, China.
De-Rong
DR
Hang
Liuhe Center for Disease Prevention and Control, Nanjing, China.
Ben-Rong
BR
You
Xiaguan Center for Disease Prevention and Control, Nanjing, China.
Xiao-Jun
XJ
Chen
Liuhe Center for Disease Prevention and Control, Nanjing, China.
Xiao-Jian
XJ
Chen
Jiangsu Institute of Schistosomiasis, Key Laboratory on Technology for Parasitic Disease Prevention and Control, Ministry of Health, Jiangsu Provincial Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology of Parasites, Wuxi 214064, China.
Kun
K
Yang
Jiangsu Institute of Schistosomiasis, Key Laboratory on Technology for Parasitic Disease Prevention and Control, Ministry of Health, Jiangsu Provincial Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology of Parasites, Wuxi 214064, China.
You-Sheng
YS
Liang
D000818:Animals; D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D004197:Disease Reservoirs; D017753:Ecosystem; D006801:Humans; D062070:Hydrology; D011156:Population Density; D045483:Rivers; D012552:Schistosomiasis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012621:Seasons; D012908:Snails; D053833:Wetlands