Department of Epidemiology and Health Statistics, Xiangya School of Public Health, Central South University, Changsha, China.
Department of Immunology and Diagnosis, Hunan Institute of Parasitic Diseases, Yueyang, China.
Front Immunol. 2020 Oct 9;11:574136. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2020.574136. eCollection 2020.
Schistosomiasis japonica is an ancient parasitic disease that has severely impacted human health causing a substantial disease burden not only to the Chinese people but also residents of other countries such as the Philippines, Indonesia and, before the 1970s, Japan. Since the founding of the new People's Republic of China (P. R. China), effective control strategies have been implemented with the result that the prevalence of schistosomiasis japonica has decreased markedly in the past 70 years. Historically, the Dongting Lake region in Hunan province is recognised as one of the most highly endemic for schistosomiasis in the P.R. China. The area is characterized by vast marshlands outside the lake embankments and, until recently, the presence of large numbers of domestic animals such as bovines, goats and sheep that can act as reservoir hosts for . Considerable social, economic and environmental changes have expanded the intermediate snail host areas in the Dongting lake region increasing the potential for both the emergence of new hot spots for schistosomiasis transmission, and for its re-emergence in areas where infection is currently under control. In this paper, we review the history, the current endemic status of schistosomiasis and the control strategies in operation in the Dongting Lake region. We also explore epidemiological factors contributing to transmission and highlight key research findings from studies undertaken on schistosomiasis mainly in Hunan but also other endemic Chinese provinces over the past 10 years. We also consider the implications of these research findings on current and future approaches that can lead to the sustainable integrated control and final elimination of schistosomiasis from the P. R. China and other countries in the region where this unyielding disease persists.
日本血吸虫病是一种古老的寄生虫病，严重影响人类健康，不仅给中国人民，也给菲律宾、印度尼西亚等国居民，以及 20 世纪 70 年代前的日本居民带来了巨大的疾病负担。自中华人民共和国（P.R.China）成立以来，实施了有效的控制策略，使得日本血吸虫病的流行在过去 70 年中显著下降。历史上，湖南省洞庭湖地区被认为是中国血吸虫病高度流行的地区之一。该地区的特点是湖堤外有大片沼泽地，直到最近，还有大量的家畜，如牛、山羊和绵羊，它们可以作为血吸虫病的储存宿主。巨大的社会、经济和环境变化扩大了洞庭湖地区中间螺宿主的范围，增加了新的血吸虫病传播热点出现的可能性，也增加了目前受控制的感染地区重新出现的可能性。本文回顾了洞庭湖地区血吸虫病的历史、当前流行状况和现有的控制策略。我们还探讨了促进传播的流行病学因素，并强调了过去 10 年在湖南及其他流行省份进行的血吸虫病研究的主要研究结果。我们还考虑了这些研究结果对当前和未来方法的影响，这些方法可以导致中国和该地区其他持续存在这种顽固疾病的国家实现血吸虫病的可持续综合控制和最终消除。
