Schistosomiasis and human behaviour

Research on schistosomiasis has been mainly a biological and biomedical endeavor. Yet water and man-water contact are of fundamental importance in understanding the epidemiology of schistosomiasis. A review of water contacts and human behaviour in schistosome endemic areas shows that children in general have more and longer water contact than adults, and that such water contact is often greatest during the middle of the day, at a time when cercarial shedding from snails is at their peak. Control of schistosomiasis must take human behaviour into account. Indiscriminate mollusciciding without the cooperation and understanding of villagers is bound to fail.