#snail fever

yeah redbubble is one of the quickest places to get taken down lol. because of the tag system it's super easy to figure out what people are selling that's tagged as 'digimon' so they don't have to do any work to find it/take it down.

When one thinks of pregnant mothers and infants, crippling parasitical diseases such as snail fever (schistosomiasis) don’t usually come to mind. After all, what would snail fever have to do with maternal health? However, as one of the 17 neglected tropical diseases (NTDs), snail fever has a surprising correlation with maternal and neonatal health. Although NTDs don’t attract much international public attention, they are a serious health issue that needs to be better understood and addressed. We cannot successfully combat maternal and infant mortality without examining the impact of NTDs on the health of vulnerable mothers and newborns.

NTDs contribute to many pregnancy complications and recorded maternal deaths and any health risks posed to the mother during pregnancy also affects the wellbeing of her fetus. NTDs such as hookworm and snail fever are leading causes of anemia and postpartum hemorrhage, side effects with serious implications for pregnant women and their newborns as they can cause low birth weight, miscarriage, and sometimes the death of the mother. One out of every three pregnant women is infected with hookworm and 20% of maternal deaths in Africa can be attributed to iron-deficiency anemia. Further, anemia reduces the physical and intellectual development of the newborn later in childhood and weakens the immune system, which causes increased rates of infection by diseases with high mortality rates, such as malaria and tuberculosis. Despite their profound impact on maternal and infant health, snail fever and hookworm are easily prevented by administering a regular routine of pills that kill the parasites. The ubiquity of parasitical NTDs creates unnecessary health risks that can be easily treated with cost-effective solutions such as pills.

Snail fever, one of the NTDs that has a profound impact on maternal health, exerts detrimental influences on pregnancy outcomes. It affects approximately 10 million women of reproductive age in Africa and has a large impact on the wellbeing of fetuses. It is primarily spread through contaminated water and food, due to the presence of feces and infectious bacteria. A study published in the American Society for Microbiology examined the link between maternal schistosomiasis and poor birth outcomes, and found that there is a definite correlation between endotoxin levels and the infant’s health. Endotoxins are toxins present in bacterial cells that are released when the cell breaks down. In infected mothers, endotoxin levels in maternal and placental compartments are usually elevated 1.3 to 2.4 times higher than normal. Higher levels of endotoxin can cause premature birth and chorioamniotis, a bacterial infection that can cause pneumonia and meningitis in infants. Controlling snail fever is an enormous factor in reducing maternal and infant mortality.

Although NTDs are usually forgotten because of their virtual eradication from developed countries, their overwhelming prevalence in low-income countries creates a heavy burden on socioeconomic progress. Any strategies in the campaign to reduce maternal and infant mortality should also pay attention to strategies that tackle NTDs. These health issues are intertwined and must be addressed together in order to cause a lasting impact that will improve their quality of life. Eliminating NTDs promotes empowers women, reduces childhood mortality, improves maternal health, and makes long-term investments in the overall health, education, and prosperity of the community.