Background: Schistosoma mansoni was observed and reported in Kuluva hospital Arua District in north western Uganda as early as 1902. S. mansoni is widely distributed in Uganda along permanent water bodies. Objective: To review the litreture on scistosomiasis in Uganda, since 1902. Method: The core literature for this short review was searched from reports and publications by the British colonia...

Schistosomiasis infects approximately 200 million persons and kills approximately 280,000 annually. In the case of a severe S. mansoni infection hepatosplenic schistosomiasis the external surface of the liver may be smooth, macronodular, or micronodular, but broad tracts of portal fibrosis are obvious upon gross examination. The cut surfaces reveal a widespread fibrosis portal enlargement witho...

Begmning with the description of a single instance of problematic illness, this paper moves toward the comprehension of Tabwa therapeutics by placing them in their most complete conceptual context. Decisions made regardmg methods of treatment. the loci of therapy (both physical and social). and the means of assessing therapeutic effectiveness reflect an epistemology which includes the overlappi...

When we are faced with a challenging scientific problem we cannot solve, what do we do? Many of us would go to see our colleagues and ask for their advice. Our professional network is valuable. It is also limited. Perhaps there are people who are well-placed to help us, in another university or company, in a different country, but we unfortunately do not know them. Surely science would proceed ...

T 2nd meeting on a serious emerging parasitic disease, Taenia solium cysticercosis, was held recently in Tanzania. This meeting followed the August 2002 International Action Planning Workshop on the ‘Emergence of the Zoonotic Pork Tapeworm, Taenia solium, as an Important Economic and Public Health Problem in Developing Countries’ held in Arusha, Tanzania. Last year’s workshop was a landmark mee...

To reach Dr. Narcis Kabatereine’s office at the Vector Control Division (VCD) of Uganda’s Ministry of Health in Kampala, you must first walk through a room full of lab technicians who are studiously looking down microscopes. The atmosphere of quiet diligence is set by the softly spoken Dr. Kabatereine (Image 1) himself, a 56-year-old entomologist, who takes great pride in having trained this ca...

Efforts to eliminate schistosomiasis are hindered by incomplete efficacy of the only FDA-approved antischistosomal drug, praziquantel. By using postgenomic technologies, Wendt et al. and Wang deciphered function several genes required for worm survival pathogenesis, which opens way development innovative parasite-targeted therapies. Schistosomiasis — also known as bilharziasis is one most devas...

A survey was carried out between January and July 2002 to determine the prevalence of vesical schistosomiasis in Bende Local government area of Abia State. A total of 2406 persons in eleven communities aged between 6 and 60 years were examined. Prevalence rates in the eleven communities ranged between 25.5% and 52.3% with an overall prevalence of 41.5%. More males (42.6%) than females (39.4%) w...