Authors

P Leutscher¹;  ¹ Aalborg University, Denmark

Discussion

Female genital schistosomiasis (FGS) and male genital schistosomiasis (MGS) are common clinical manifestations in persons living in Schistosoma haematobium endemic areas. Both gender-specific disease entities have been studied in comprehensive manner for 30 years in Madagascar. Major findings from the various field studies of FGS and MGS being conducted since 1994 will be summarized in this presentation. Focus among the various topics being researched in this era will be on evaluation of diagnostic methods and clinical assessment. A throughout observation in most study settings has been that urogenital schistosomiasis tend to be neglected by health care professionals due to general lack of awareness of this condition. Furthermore, from a health care perspective essential control elements such as diagnosis and treatment are challenged by the common co-existence of sexually transmitted infections and other prevalent reproductive health ailments, but also seldomly managed adequately at primary health care level. It is essential that the collected research knowledge is translated into field-applicable preventive and therapeutic measures in an overall public as well as specific reproductive health context for the millions of individuals affected by schistosomiasis for lifetime. Typically, those people are living in remote rural settings with very limited access to medical facilities and care. This is not only the situation for Madagascar, but also for many countries in sub-Saharan Africa.