Urgent warning over outbreak of deadly 'snail fever' parasite in two popular holiday hotspots

A gruesome worm that lives successful freshwater snails but tin infect humans is connected the emergence successful European vacation hotspots, experts person warned.

Separate data, seen by MailOnline, besides shows the fig of British travellers who person brought the parasite location with them has reached a grounds high.

The worm, a benignant of blood fluke, burrows done quality tegument wherever it past releases thousands of eggs that tin dispersed done the assemblage infecting captious organs, resulting successful a illness called schistosomiasis.

Human infections typically hap erstwhile travellers travel into interaction with the parasite erstwhile swimming in fresh h2o environments.

Also called snail fever oregon bilharzia schistosomiasis, the corruption tin origin infertility, blindness, terrible organ damage, and adjacent bladder cancer if near untreated. 

Scientists speaking astatine Wellcome Trust successful London past week said portion the illness was erstwhile confined to sub-Saharan Africa, it is present spreading successful parts of confederate Europe. 

Outbreaks person been reported in the freshwater lakes and rivers of European vacation favourites similar Spain, Portugal and parts of France.  

Official UK Government information shows an expanding fig of British travellers are besides being infected.

The UK Health Security Agency recorded 123 cases successful Britain successful 2022, much than treble the fig tallied successful the erstwhile twelvemonth and astir triple the fig recorded earlier the Covid pandemic. 

Bonnie Webster, main researcher astatine the Schistosome Snail Resource astatine the Natural History Museum, said the worm is believed to person reached Europe from African travellers.

'It was radical travelling from Africa, peculiarly Senegal, who imported the parasites,' she said according to The Telegraph. 

'Once 1 snail is infected, they infect a full colonisation of snails which past infect a full colonisation of humans.' 

Experts judge importation by tourists, combined with clime alteration making European waters warmer and much hospitable for the worms, are down a emergence successful infections connected the continent. 

More than 120 cases person been identified successful the French land of Corsica since 2014, with the worms believed to beryllium carried determination by individuals from Senegal.

Sporadic outbreaks person besides been reported successful Spain and Portugal.

However, arsenic snail fever tin beryllium mistaken for big of different conditions, and sometimes origin nary symptoms, galore much radical whitethorn beryllium infected than authoritative figures suggest. 

Infected humans tin contaminate freshwater sources with the worm by shedding eggs successful their urine and faeces. 

From determination the worm infects a freshwater snail, wherever it grows to a size that enables it to infect a human.

According to the World Health Organisation, much than 250million radical were infected with schistosomiasis successful 2021, with 90 per cent of cases successful Africa. 

In total, snail fever is estimated to termination 12,000 radical a twelvemonth owed to the complications it causes. 

Infections tin initially manifest arsenic an itchy bumpy rash, colloquially known as 'swimmers itch'.

As the unwellness develops, symptoms see fever, much rashes, a cough, diarrhoea, musculus and associated pain, tummy ache and a wide consciousness of being unwell.

These symptoms aren't caused by the worm itself but alternatively the body's absorption to it releasing thousands upon thousands of eggs. 

Experts accidental snail fever is often misdiagnosed astatine this signifier arsenic the effect of immoderate different infection. 

While the illness mostly clears up connected its own, patients are inactive astatine hazard of agelong word wellness complications similar organ harm arsenic the parasite remains successful their body. 

In uncommon cases, the eggs tin scope the encephalon and spinal cord wherever it tin origin a big of superior wellness problems. 

The NHS advises radical who acquisition signs of infection, and who person been successful an country wherever the worms are found, to interaction their GP for advice. 

Treatment for snail fever involves taking a cause called praziquantel which kills the worms. 

People tin trim their hazard of snail fever by avoiding swimming oregon paddling successful caller h2o arsenic the worms cannot past successful the oversea oregon in chlorinated swimming pools.