Female Genital Schistosomiasis: A Neglected Tropical Disease

Abstract

Female genital schistosomiasis is a neglected tropical disease. Few clinicians consider it in their differential diagnosis. Yet this disease affects hundreds of millions of people. Hundreds of thousands of them actually die annually. It significantly affects the reproductive health of women. Patients infected in childhood may carry the burden of disease throughout their lives without being detected. Global attention is occupied by new emerging diseases like Zika virus and female genital schistosomiasis is relegated to back of pages in the list of global worries. The importance of this disease on the health of women cannot be over-emphasied. The global attention must be focused so that it can be tackled adequately. Awareness among clinicians must be increased so that they consider it when women present to them with unusual symptomatology. Female genital schistosomiasis is a neglected tropical disease affecting millions of people. It causes significant morbidity and mortality in women. Awareness among clinicians is low as most cases are discovered fortuitously while undergoing investigations for other conditions.