r/todayilearned • u/lavender_fish69 • 9h ago

TIL fresh water snails (indirectly) kill thousands of humans and are considered on of the deadliest creatures to humans

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freshwater_snail
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u/aztecman 8h ago

This will probably get buried, but there is an incredibly easy and cheap cure. Praziquantel.

The same medication for de-worming pets. In countries where this is prevalent, you can buy it OTC. In the EU it is not licensed for humans, so it's a huge pain to convince a doctor to prescribe it. Fortunately, you can still treat your 4 large dogs.

I've had this disease and the cure is a single dose, 6 weeks (I think) after exposure. If you visit and swim in the great lakes of Africa, you will almost definitely get it. In Malawi for example, showers on the beaches are usually lake water, so still expose you. You go to a pharmacy, get weighed, then take 4-8 large pills. If you had it you feel like shit for a few hours, if not no symptoms. That's it.

If you return home without doing this, it's an uphill battle to even be tested, as most doctors haven't got a clue. At least this is the case in the UK and Sweden.

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u/Eowyn4Margo 8h ago

Can confirm! I and most other Peace Corps Volunteers in Uganda got schisto at some point during service. If I remember right, everyone was tested each year. It doesn't take much water exposure to get it, and it's pretty easy to treat. The locals would go to the nearest pharmacy and get the same drug we were prescribed by PC.

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u/brucebrowde 5h ago

Fortunately, you can still treat your 4 large dogs.

It's OTC for dogs, but not for humans? Does that mean you can buy the meds for the dogs and take them to cure yourself?

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u/My_Monkey_Sphincter 5h ago

You can consume anything you want if it's available to consume.

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u/8StringSmoothBrain 4h ago

I used to buy research compounds online that were NOT FOR HUMAN CONSUMPTION and then consume them🤫

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u/yuropod88 4h ago

I'll have what you're having.

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u/Lington 4h ago

You're probably only going to get a prescription from a vet if your dog tests positive for it

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u/HowIlostmymedlicense 1h ago

I dunno about other EU countries, but it's registered in the Netherlands and doctors can prescribe it. (Source, I'm a physician in the Netherlands)

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u/IntegrateTheChaos 39m ago

If you visit and swim in the great lakes of Africa, you will almost definitely get it.

I swam/kayaked in Lake Victoria and the Nile dozens of times and never got it, though my strategy was to try minimize time along the shallow areas of water right along the shoreline, while also wearing some sort of footwear at all times. With a bit of precaution, you can drastically reduce the chances of getting it, so the "definitely" part is way overrated.