What Is Schistosomiasis?
9. Prevention
As things stand, there is no known vaccine for schistosomiasis. This means it is important to take precautions if you feel you might become exposed to the parasite. This mostly means avoiding swimming in water that has not been treated, such as lakes and rivers. Also make sure that any water you drink has been treated. Boiling it will help to protect you against the parasite.
While medication is often sold that claims to be able to help prevent schistosomiasis, this is not usually effective. Using insect repellent after getting out of water is also not thought to be effective. Drying yourself off as soon as you get out of the water can help to limit your chances of an infection, however.
Advertisement