New research from Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine highlights the need to test millions of women and girls for female genital schistosomiasis, a neglected disease linked to increased risk of chronic illness, HIV, and cervical cancer, according to a July 3 report. The study, published in The Lancet Microbe by researchers from Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, the Malawi-Liverpool-Wellcome Program, and the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, calls for female genital schistosomiasis (FGS) to be urgently integrated into sexual and reproductive health services.
FGS is caused by infection with the parasitic worm Schistosoma haematobium. Transmission occurs through contact with infested freshwater. Parasite eggs become trapped in reproductive tissues, causing inflammation, lesions, and scarring. The disease affects at least 40 million women globally—primarily in sub-Saharan Africa—but remains largely absent from reproductive healthcare services.
The study examined how FGS interacts with other gynecological infections and found evidence that chronic inflammation and tissue damage caused by the disease may increase vulnerability to infections including HIV and human papillomavirus (HPV), which is the leading cause of cervical cancer.
Researchers argue that integrating FGS screening into existing HIV, cervical cancer, and sexual health programs could improve diagnosis and care for millions. Proposed approaches include combined HPV and FGS testing from a single genital sample, improved healthcare worker training, as well as new molecular and AI-supported diagnostic tools.
Professor Amaya Bustinduy said, “Female genital schistosomiasis remains one of the most neglected gynaecological conditions affecting women and girls in Africa. Despite the scale of the problem, it is still routinely overlooked within both neglected tropical disease programs and wider sexual and reproductive healthcare services.”
The paper draws on findings from the Hybridization in Urogenital Schistosomiasis (HUGS) study in Malawi, which identified high levels of co-infection between FGS and other genital infections. It also highlights emerging concerns about zoonotic and hybrid schistosome species detected in genital samples from women with FGS. Researchers say these findings raise important questions about diagnosis effectiveness as well as treatment options.
