Health authorities here have retracted their earlier denial on outbreak of bilharzia disease in the region after some fresh cases were detected at the Center Al-Abla Valley in the west of Bisha. Bilharzia is a human disease caused by parasitic worms called Schhistosomers. It is common in the tropics where ponds, streams and irrigation canals harbor the disease-transmitting snails. In a letter to Okaz/Saudi Gazette, Abdullah Saeed Al-Ghamdi, spokesman of Bisha Health Directorate, said the health authorities had discovered four cases of bilharzia on Sept. 9. He said a recent survey indicated that the snails which carry the parasite are proliferating in Raenh and Abla Valleys. Al-Ghamdi said the Schhistosomers eggs are evacuated from the human body via feces or urine. When sanitation is poor, they can reach ponds or rivers. He said the latest survey showed that some picnickers who swam in these two valleys got the disease. The spokesman said the disease causes liver enlargement and malfunction and kidney damages, detectable by blood in the urine. Earlier this week, Saudi Gazette/Okaz published a report on the bilharzia cases in the region. It quoted Muhammad Abdullah Al-Mazidi, a citizen, saying that bilharzia exists in Al-Abla villages and is expected to spread. “Every year, new bilharzia cases are found in the villages and the concerned authorities don't take any strict measures to control the source of vectors. The Health Affairs is not performing its duties properly. Al-Abla doesn't have a health center that can diagnose or treat similar cases,” he was quoted as saying. __
