Is the snail more dangerous than a shark?
It seems incredible that this is possible, because when we think of human deaths at the hands of other animals we usually see fearsome predators such as crocodiles, sharks, hippos or snakes. However, snails, attentive, cause 10,000 people annually . Incredible true?
If we compare it with the deaths caused by snakes (the most dangerous for the human race) that are 50,000 a year or with the annual victims of dogs 20,000 a year (due to the contagion of rabies the greater part), it seems little. However, compare it to the annual shark victims , 10 per year ; of lions, 100 per year and of hippos, 500 per year . By setting aside the figures the snails are truly dangerous, causing as many deaths as the tse-tse fly. Why?
What makes the snail so deadly?
The adorable snails are often carriers of an illness caused by parasitic worms , called schistosomiasis . How is it spread? When the snails come in contact with the water , they infect it with their parasites. A human being drinks from this dangerous water and the parasites have already entered his body. At first it is not evident but, little by little, the tenants are laying their eggs that are the ones that lead to suffer this terrible parasitic disease .
What symptoms does it have? Paralysis in the legs and vomiting of blood . Horrible. It is a common ailment in areas still in development, especially in the African continent. The WHO (World Health Organization) published a calculation in which it claimed that more than 160 million people suffer from schistosomiasis worldwide. Although there are effective treatments against this disease, it is very difficult to avoid relapses, since in the end the contact with infected water is sometimes inevitable.