Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine news release
New research has highlighted the need to test millions of women and girls for female genital schistosomiasis (FGS), a neglected disease that can increase the risk of chronic illness, HIV and cervical cancer.
Researchers are calling for FGS to be urgently integrated into sexual and reproductive health services to improve diagnosis and treatment.
FGS is caused by infection with the parasitic worm Schistosoma haematobium, transmitted through contact with infested freshwater. Parasite eggs become trapped in reproductive tissues, causing inflammation, lesions, and scarring. The disease affects at least 40 million women globally, primarily in sub-Saharan Africa, yet remains largely absent from reproductive healthcare services.
The study examined how FGS interacts with other gynaecological infections and found evidence that chronic inflammation and tissue damage caused by the disease may increase vulnerability to infections including HIV and HPV, the leading cause of cervical cancer.
Read the full news release here.
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