Snails in the water, disease in the villages
National Science Foundation: People in developing countries who don’t have access to clean water or good sanitation facilities can be exposed to infected snails that serve as intermediaries between disease-causing worms and humans. The worms carry schistosomiasis, the second most socioeconomically devastating disease after malaria. “Current guidelines focus on suppressing the disease’s effects by limiting the infection during childhood,” said Charles King, professor of international health. “But that may not be enough to cure it or to prevent re-infection, leaving children still at risk for stunted growth and anemia.”