Self-diagnosis of schistosomiasis by Tanzanian schoolchildren

Abstract

The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends mass treatment of all schoolchildren with the drug praziquantel in areas where the prevalence of urinary schistosomiasis (bilharzia) is greater than 50 percent. But is there any way that children can get treatment in areas where the prevalence is lower than this? For example, in the absence of expensive laboratory tests can children diagnose the illness themselves?