I know that he carried on drinking the same fluoride-rich water he had drunk since he was born. Five years later when I returned to the village his legs had buckled under him. He was practically a cripple. I don't know what he did for a living any more. For part of their lifecycle, Schistosoma parasites depend on aquatic snails.
Water management can play an important role in reducing transmission risks.
But it must be combined with drug treatment, the provision of safe drinking-water and adequate sanitation. Health education is also important. Canal lining, regular rapid draw-down of reservoirs, and increased flow rates in irrigation canals all favour snail elimination, but are only efficient if they have a positive effect on agricultural production at the same time. The Urban Poor Competition for water in the world's ever-growing cities is fierce. Industry, urban agriculture and households all rely on and demand water to meet their needs.