Schistosomiasis Control in Puerto Rico-The Division of Community Education

Schistosomiasis mansoni, known colloquially as bilharzia, came to Puerto Rico with the slave trade [1-3]. At the beginning of the 20th century, schistosomiasis was limited to several low-prevalence locations in Puerto Rico (Mayaguez, Utuado and Aibonito) and the adjacent island of Vieques an area of high prevalence. The change from a coffee economy (that was precipitated in part by Hurricane San Ciriaco in 1899) to sugarcane cultivation and the subsequent construction of large-scale irrigation systems, produced massive migrations of workers from the mountains to the coastal regions [4]. As sugar cultivation increased so did schistosomiasis.