Local Skin Hyperthermia Can Prevent Schistosomiasis

Jintian Tang of Tsinghua University in China will design and test a portable, non-invasive device for its ability to kill the worm larvae that causes the chronic parasitic disease Schistosomiasis. Tang's research has shown that the worm larvae, which enters through the skin and causes immediate dermatitis, die at temperatures low enough to not harm human skin. By applying a heated device on the skin upon the first signs of dermatitis, the worm larvae can be eradicated before entering the human blood stream.