Recently, SHVRI published a commentary in Acta Parasitologica, noting that although significant achievements have been made in the control of livestock schistosomiasis in China, sustained vigilance is still required at this critical stage of moving toward complete elimination.
At present, livestock schistosomiasis control in China still faces several challenges, including the continued presence of animal infection sources, the complex residual habitats of Oncomelania snails, and insufficient precision monitoring capacity under low-prevalence conditions. In some regions, it remains difficult to manage free-grazing livestock, while the roles of dogs and wildlife in transmission have not been fully clarified. In addition, traditional monitoring methods have limited ability to identify potential transmission risks, posing new pressures on consolidating control achievements.
In the future, efforts should further strengthen integrated monitoring of humans, animals, and the environment, promote targeted interventions in key areas, advance the development of novel diagnostic technologies and vaccines, improve cross-sector coordination mechanisms, and drive schistosomiasis control from phased achievements toward sustainable elimination.
The first author of the paper is Assistant Researcher Haoran Zhong, and the corresponding authors are Researcher Jiaojiao Lin and Researcher Yamei Jin. The study was supported by the Shanghai Sailing Program and the Agricultural Science and Technology Innovation Program of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences.
Original article link: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11686-026-01231-2
