Mehanna S, Rizkalla N H, el-Sayed H F, Winch P J
Social Research Center, American University in Cairo, Egypt.
J Trop Med Hyg. 1994 Oct;97(5):286-97.
Reclamation of land from the desert is currently taking place in all parts of Egypt. A side-effect of many of these projects has been the introduction of schistosome parasites and their snail intermediate hosts, sometimes among Bedouin population with no previous exposure to the disease. The purpose of the present study was to describe social, environmental and economic conditions which can affect the transmission and control of schistosomiasis in reclaimed areas, and to investigate how residents of these areas view local conditions. Two areas were found to have high rates of internal and external migration, many different social groups with widely divergent priorities and minimal contact with each other, and inadequate infrastructure in terms of roads, transport, water and sanitation and health services. As a result of these conditions, control strategies which are effective for the population living in the Nile Valley will have to be modified considerably if schistosomiasis is to be brought under control in reclaimed areas.
目前埃及各地都在进行沙漠垦殖。许多此类项目的一个副作用是引入了血吸虫寄生虫及其作为中间宿主的蜗牛，有时在以前未接触过该疾病的贝都因人群体中也出现了这种情况。本研究的目的是描述可能影响垦殖地区血吸虫病传播和控制的社会、环境和经济状况，并调查这些地区的居民如何看待当地情况。研究发现，有两个地区内部和外部移民率很高，存在许多不同的社会群体，他们的优先事项差异很大且相互之间接触极少，在道路、交通、水、卫生和医疗服务等方面基础设施不足。由于这些情况，如果要在垦殖地区控制血吸虫病，那么对尼罗河流域居民有效的控制策略将不得不进行大幅调整。
