Imported African schistosomiasis and the potential risk of transmission in China

Schistosomiasis is an important global public health problem, and over 200 million individuals are estimated to be infected with Schistosoma spp. in 76 tropical and subtropical countries around the world [1]. In China, only Schistosoma japonicum was endemic. This species was once highly endemic in 12 provinces, and more than 10 million people were infected in the early 1950s [2]. Since that time, great progress has been made in the prevention and control of schistosomiasis. By the end of 2015, the transmission of schistosomiasis had been interrupted in five of the 12 former endemic provinces, and seven provinces had achieved transmission control in China (<1% prevalence of S. japonicum infection in humans and livestock, no autochthonous patients with acute schistosomiasis, and no infected snail hosts for consecutive 2 years) [3]. In 2015, it is estimated that there are 77,194 human cases, and no cases of acute schistosomiasis were reported in China [4]