Personnel required to handle or enter the water should be protected
insofar as practicable by rubber hip boots, waders, -rubber gloves, or other waterproof
clothing.
(2) Dealing with cercariae. The cercariae require only a few minutes to
penetrate the skin.
In case of wetting of an unprotected area of the body, the immediate
application of any available disinfectant, soap, or even a brisk rubbing of the skin with a
towel or article of clothing may reduce the chance of infection.
Where possible, water used for laundry or bathing by small units
away from their base should be taken from subsurface sources.
Surface water should be processed if a subsurface source is not
available.
Holding water in storage for 72 hours after its removal from surface
sources, and in the absence of the snail vector, will eliminate the cercariae.
If this is not feasible, Lyster bags of adequately treated water can be
used for bathing. Availability of such facilities will minimize infractions of bathing
discipline.
(3) Sanitary discipline. Inasmuch as the infection of any given snail
population has resulted from the pollution of the water by feces coming from infected
animal as well as human hosts, the control of schistosomiasis by enforced human
sanitation has limitations.
Nevertheless, strict sanitary discipline should be maintained, not only
because of its possible value in the eventual prevention of schistosomiasis, but for the
more immediate reduction of other communicable diseases.
Obviously, where proper sanitation methods are practiced with no
defecation or urination into water supplies, there is little chance of transmission of this
disease.
MD0152
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