One of the many disasters that has been caused by the African migration into Europe has been the introduction of parasitic epidemics that were wholly preventable and which further endanger the native population. Via Independent:

Around 25-30 per cent of humans are currently infected with at least one parasitic worm species.

The diseases they cause can be devastating. Worm infections can lead to diverse and chronic conditions such as scarring of the eyes and blindness, swelling of extremities and immobility, blockage of digestion and malnutrition, anaemia and tiredness. They can also increase an individual’s risk of developing cancer and Aids.

Not so long ago, human diseases caused by parasitic worms were thought to be confined to resource poor communities throughout Africa, Asia and South America. But in this age of global travel and changing climate, parasitic worms are slowly but surely moving into parts of Europe and North America. The long-term consequences of increased parasitic worm distributions are difficult to predict, but the harm that infection causes highlights the need for developing control strategies that can mitigate this 21st-century threat to global health.

Our team of scientists is currently using cutting-edge technologies to combat the single most important parasitic worm disease, schistosomiasis (or bilharzia).

Schistosomiasis – which is caused by infection with blood dwelling schistosome flatworms – currently affects hundreds of millions of people every year, often leading to the deaths of thousands to hundreds of thousands of victims. Its impact is so great that some have claimed it is second only to malaria on the scale of devastating parasitic diseases.

Approximately 85 per cent of all human schistosomasis currently occurs in sub-Saharan Africa, but outbreaks have recently been reported on the Mediterranean island of Corsica. People become infected with the parasites when they come into contact with certain types of freshwater snail that produce human-infective stage schistosomes. These parasitic worms rapidly penetrate the skin and develop into adult male and female schistosomes within the blood vessels surrounding the intestines or bladder of infected individuals.

Hundreds to thousands of eggs are produced daily by each female worm. And, once they become trapped in human organs, these eggs induce chronic complications including inflammation, tissue scarring, fluid imbalances, anaemia and, eventually, death. A proportion of eggs that migrate into the intestines or bladder will be released into the environment when an infected individual defecates or urinates. If these eggs reach fresh water, they can hatch and release snail-infective schistosome stages, which effectively completes the life cycle.