 This disease is commonly referred to as bilharzias and it is only second to malaria in terms of the number of people afflicted worldwide by parasitic infections. The endemicity and spread of the disease is closely linked to water bodies, including irrigation projects which harbour the snail intermediate host. IPR scientists have developed the baboon as a suitable model to study all aspects of the disease. Currently the focus is on vaccine development and promising vaccine candidates are being analysed for their efficacy. In one recent study a vaccine made of the larval stages of the parasite consistently conferred >70% protection in four independent studies.
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