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Assessing the influence of water level on schistosomiasis in Dongting Lake region before and after the construction of Three Gorges Dam

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Abstract

Schistosomiasis is a severe public health problem in the Dongting Lake region, and its distribution, prevalence, and intensity of infection are particularly sensitive to environmental changes. In this study, the human and bovine schistosomiasis variations in the Dongting Lake region were studied from 1996 to 2010, and the relationships between schistosomiasis and water level were examined. Furthermore, based on these results, the potential effects of the Three Gorges Dam (TGD) on schistosomiasis were investigated. Results showed an increase in human schistosomiasis and in the scope of seriously affected regions, along with a decrease in bovine schistosomiasis. Human schistosomiasis was negatively correlated with water level during wet season (from May to October), particularly the average water level in October. This finding indicated that the decreasing water level may be highly related to the increasing of human schistosomiasis in the Dongting Lake region. Based on this result and the variation of schistosomiasis before and after the construction and operation of TGD, the impoundment of the Three Gorges reservoir is believed to decrease the water level and increase the contact between people and schistosomiasis. Therefore, the TGD, which is operated by regulating water and scheduling water operations, is not good for the control of human schistosomiasis in the Dongting Lake region. Although the extent of the influence of the TGD on schistosomiasis remains unclear, the influence of the TGD on preventing and controlling schistosomiasis should not be ignored.

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Acknowledgments

The study was funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (41271294).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Hunan University, Changsha, 410082, People’s Republic of China

    Zhongwu Li, Xiaodong Nie, Yan Zhang, Bin Huang & Guangming Zeng

  2. Key Laboratory of Environmental Biology and Pollution Control (Hunan University), Ministry of Education, Changsha, 410082, People’s Republic of China

    Zhongwu Li, Xiaodong Nie, Yan Zhang, Bin Huang & Guangming Zeng

  3. Department of Soil and Water Conservation, Yangtze River Scientific research Institute, Wuhan, 430010, People’s Republic of China

    Jinquan Huang

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  1. Zhongwu Li
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Correspondence to Zhongwu Li.

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Li, Z., Nie, X., Zhang, Y. et al. Assessing the influence of water level on schistosomiasis in Dongting Lake region before and after the construction of Three Gorges Dam. Environ Monit Assess 188, 28 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-015-5033-1

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