Debate Session

Schistosoma is a genus of trematodes, commonly known as blood flukes. They are parasitic flatworms responsible for a highly significant group of infections in humans termed schistosomiasis, which is considered by the World Health Organization as the second-most socioeconomically devastating parasitic disease (after malaria), with hundreds of millions infected worldwide (over 240 million people in 77 countries on 5 continents and killing 300,000 people annually in sub-Saharan Africa alone). There are 2 major forms of schistosomiasis - Intestinal and Urogenital.