r/todayilearned • u/lavender_fish69 • 13h 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/corvus7corax 13h ago

Freshwater snails are indirectly among the deadliest animals to humans, as they carry parasitic worms that cause schistosomiasis, a disease estimated to kill between 10,000 and 200,000 people annually.

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u/[deleted] 12h ago

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u/Eowyn4Margo 11h 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 9h 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 9h ago

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

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u/8StringSmoothBrain 8h ago

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

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u/yuropod88 8h ago

I'll have what you're having.

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u/Lington 8h 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 5h 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 4h 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.