34th meeting of the International Task Force for Disease Eradication, 19–20 September 2022

Overview

The 34th meeting of the International Task Force for Disease Eradication (ITFDE) was convened virtually and in person at The Carter Center in Atlanta, Georgia, USA, on 19–20 September 2022 to discuss WHO’s new guidelines on control and elimination of human schistosomiasis. The ITFDE previously discussed schistosomiasis in 2001 and 2012 and concluded that the disease could not yet be eradicated with the available tools but acknowledged that control of schistosomiasis was possible and could be improved.

The current review addresses what would be required to achieve schistosomiasis elimination with use of the new guidelines issued by WHO in 2022 for schistosomiasis control and elimination.

Schistosomiasis is a parasitic disease caused by Schistosoma spp. parasites and has 2 major forms, intestinal and urogenital. There are 3 major species of Schistosoma parasites (S. mansoni, S. japonicum, S. haematobium) and 3 minor species (S.  mekongi, S. guineensis, S. intercalatum), which are regionally specific to parts of Africa, Asia, and the Americas. Current WHO estimates show that 78 countries and territories remain endemic for the disease and that about 240  million people required preventive chemotherapy in 2020, 91% of whom live in Africa.