Objective: To compare the effect of different models for the control of infectious source of schistosomiasis, so as to explore the control models suitable for lake and marshland regions.
Methods: The models of "replacement of cattle with machine" and "grazing prohibition and establishing fixed pasture" were implemented in 2 towns of Gong'an and Jianli counties, Hubei Province, respectively, and the data of infection situation of human and livestock, Oncomelania hupensis snail situation and the contamination status of wild faeces were collected and analyzed from 2008 to 2010.
Results: In 2010, for the model of "replacement of cattle with machine", the infection rate of residents in the observation group decreased by 56.82% comparing to that in 2008, the difference had a statistical significance (chi2 = 78.197, P < 0.01), and the decrease extent in the observation group was larger than that in the control group; the infection rates of cattle and snails, and the density of infected snails of the former were all decreased to 0. No wild faeces were discovered in the observation group, while 58 pieces of wild faeces were discovered but no schistosome eggs were found in these faeces in the control group. In 2010, for the model of "grazing prohibition and establishing fixed pasture", the infection rate of residents in the observation group decreased by 39.00% without a statistic significance (chi2 = 1.594, P > 0.05), and the infection rate of cattle decreased by 43.98% without a statistically significant difference (chi2 = 0.751, P > 0.05) comparing to those in 2008. The density of living snails decreased by 89.83% in the observation group, while that in the control group increased by 6.80%. A total of 11 pieces of wild faeces were collected in the observation group, with a positive rate of 18.18%, and 7 pieces were collected in the control group, all of which were negative. During the 2 years, no acute and advanced schistosomiasis patients were newly discovered.
Conclusions: "Replacement of cattle with machine" and "grazing prohibition and establishing fixed pasture" are the main measures for schistosomiasis control in lake and marshland regions, the former is suitable for inner embankment regions, while the latter is suitable for the outer-embankment areas.