01488nas a2200253   4500000000100000008004100001653000900042653001100051653001100062653001500073653003400088653001300122653002000135100001500155700001600170700001200186700001500198700001500213700001600228700001400244245010100258520086100359022001401220       2017                            d10aNTDs10aAfrica10aEurope10aImmigrants10aInfectious diseases screening10aRefugees10aschistosomiasis1 aBeltrame A1 aBuonfrate D1 aGobbi F1 aAngheben A1 aMarchese V1 aMonteiro GB1 aBisoffi Z00aThe hidden epidemic of schistosomiasis in recent African immigrants and asylum seekers to Italy.3 a<p>The prevalence of schistosomiasis among recent refugees from sub-Saharan Africa in Italy is unknown. This is a retrospective review of African immigrants screened at Centre for Tropical Diseases of Negrar from March 2014 to February 2016. Of the 373 immigrants tested, 34% were positive at least at one schistosomiasis test. The proportion of positive ELISA serology was 103/373 (27.6%). At microscopy, infected subjects were 65/373 (17.4%), (51% Schistosoma haematobium, 38% Schistosoma mansoni, 11% both). CCA antigen for S. mansoni was positive in 47/373 individuals (12.6%). We found a particularly high positivity rate in subjects from Mali (72.1%) and Ivory Coast (48%). This "hidden epidemic" of schistosomiasis cannot be longer neglected, considering the risk of severe complications, and the effective and inexpensive treatment available.</p>
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