Foreword

Foreword

The present special issue of the Memórias do Instituto Oswaldo Cruz is entirely dedicated to research on schistosomiasis, as a part of the celebration of the centennial anniversary of the discovery of Schistosoma mansoni in Brazil by Pirajá da Silva in 1908. This issue was organized by the Integrated Schistosomiasis Program of the Fundação Oswaldo Cruz (PIDE-Fiocruz) following the 11th International Symposium on Schistosomiasis, held in August 2008 at the city of Salvador, state of Bahia, Brazil. The Symposium is currently the most important world-wide event about this important endemic disease and plays a significant role in the global efforts towards its control as public health problem.

This issue of the Memórias do Instituto Oswaldo Cruz consists of 39 outstanding articles by 165 scientists from 30 leading national and international institutions. The articles range from the discovery of new products and tools (discovery research) to the evaluation of new or improved strategies for intervention in real-life settings (implementation research). They include aspects of genomics, immunopathology, biochemistry, molecular biology, ecology and epidemiology as well as diagnostic tools, treatment schemes, control strategies and public health policies.

We hope that the papers published in the present issue reflect the state-of-the-art of the scientific knowledge about this important public health problem, as well as the commitment of the schistosomiasis scientific community with providing sound, research-based evidence for its control.

Octavio Fernandes

Associated Editor

Otávio Sarmento Pieri

Invited Editor for this issue

Omar dos Santos Carvalho

Coordinator of PIDE-Fiocruz

Mitermayer Galvão dos Reis

President of 11th International Symposium on Schistosomiasis

Publication Dates

• Publication in this collection
  06 Aug 2010
• Date of issue
  July 2010