From ancient times to the early 20th century, schistosomiasis symptom of blood in the urine was seen as a male version of menstruation in Egypt and was thus viewed as a rite of passage for boys.Among human parasitic diseases, schistosomiasis ranks second behind malaria in terms of socio-economic and public health importance in tropical and subtropical areas. Research
A proposed vaccine against S. haematobium infection called "Bilhvax" underwent a phase 3 clinical trial among children in Senegal: the results, reported in 2018, showed that it was not effective despite provoking some immune response. Using CRISPR gene editing technology, researchers decreased the symptoms due to schistosomiasis in an animal model. See also
Angiostrongyliasis, another disease transmitted by snails

References
External links

Schistosomiasis at Curlie
River of Hope — documentary about the rise of schistosomiasis along the Senegal river (video, 47 mins)
Schistosomiasis information for travellers from IAMAT (International Association for Medical Assistance to Travellers)
It is important to note that as the level of itch does not correlate with bile acid levels (shown to be the most likely cause of stillbirth in ICP), the itch in ICP can range from being mild to severe.To obtain a diagnosis of ICP, a liver function test and a serum bile acid test should be requested. Although the ALT level may be raised, 20% of women with ICP will always have a normal LFT test result. This, plus pruritus of palms and soles, could be considered as potentially diagnostic of ICP but only with elevated bile acid levels (however LFTs are not always elevated in ICP patients). The serum bile acid blood test for ICP is a quantitative measurement of bile acids. Other problems with the liver that occur in pregnancy should be considered by the treating clinician. These include preeclampsia, the HELLP syndrome, and acute fatty liver of pregnancy. Furthermore, other causes of hepatitis, like hepatitis viruses, cancer and certain medications, should also be considered. Treatment
Many providers will prescribe ursodeoxycholic acid. The most recent trial, PITCHES, did not show an overall beneficial effect, but some researchers believe that it may still be useful to offer ursodeoxycholic acid to women whose bile acids are > 40 μmol/litre.