[Risk assessment and control measures for import of African schistosomiasis into China]

The habitats of Biomphalaria straminea, the intermediate host of Schistosoma mansoni, have been found in Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and Shenzhen City of People's Republic of China. Currently, there is a sharp increase in the number of Africa-aid projects and workers moving to Africa, and more and more cases infected with S. mansoni or S. haematobium returning from African countries have been detected in China. The possibility of transmission of African schistosomiasis in Chinese mainland, in the context of global climate warming, has received much attention. This paper illustrates the risk of transmission of African schistosomiasis in China based on biological and epidemiological features, and proposes interventions to tackle the risk.