This paper reports an outbreak of acute schistosomiasis among 38 tourists who rented a country house in the district of Igarapé, the metropolitan region of Belo Horizonte, Brazil, during a holiday period in 2006. A total number of 32 individuals were positive for Schistosoma mansoni. Results of stool examinations revealed individual S. mansoni egg counts per gram of faeces (epg) ranging from 4-768 epg with a geometric mean egg count of 45. The most frequent clinical symptoms were abdominal pain (78.1%), headache (75%), fever (65.6%), dry cough (65.2%) and both diarrhoea and asthenia (59.4%). A malacological survey of the area, where 22 specimens of Biomphalaria glabrata were collected, revealed three (13.6%) specimens eliminating Schistosoma cercariae. This investigation re-confirms a recently described pattern of schistosomiasis infection, resulting in the acute form of the disease and connected to rural tourism, which contributes to the spread of the disease among the middle-class and into non-endemic areas. The lack of specific knowledge about acute schistosomiasis among health services causes an increased number of unnecessary diagnostic procedures and delays in accurate diagnosis and treatment, resulting in considerable discomfort for the patients

This paper discusses schistosomiasis transmission in São José da Serra, a village with a population of 500 in the county of Jaboticatubas, MinasEm Minas Gerais, um local muito procurado para a prática do ecoturismo é o Parque Nacional da Serra do Cipó, região preservada por Lei Federal, que tem 60% de sua área no Município de Jaboticatubas.O primeiro relato da esquistossomose, nesse município, foi feito por Pellon & Teixeira 8 , no inquérito nacional sobre esquistossomose, há mais de 50 anos, ocasião em que foi registrada uma prevalência de 35,7%. A partir desse fato e, em decorrência de o município concentrar um forte apelo para o ecoturismo, a doença tornou-se mobilizadora e ocupou espaço na mídia nacional. Na década de 1960 9 , Jaboticatubas ficou conhecida como "capital da esquistossomose". Atualmente, o município é considerado pela Secretaria Estadual de Saúde como de média prevalência (na primeira avaliação censitária, feita no município entre os anos de 1999 e 2006 -numa lâmina de uma única amostra pelo método de Kato-Katz -a prevalência foi de 11,8%), em virtude dos sucessivos tratamentos, realizados durante as últimas décadas em parceria com a Fundação Nacional de Saúde, e após 1999, com a Secretaria de Estado de Saúde de Minas Gerais.NOTA RESEARCH NOTE

Schistosomiasis control programs in Brazil have helped reduce prevalence and the severe forms of the disease, but have failed to prevent new foci from appearing, especially on the periphery of large cities. The current article aims to assess the prevalence of schistosomiasis and the presence of intermediates hosts for Schistosoma mansoni in the district of Ravena, Municipality of Sabará, Minas Gerais State, Brazil, 27 years after implementing water treatment and specific treatment for infected individuals. Ravena responded positively to schistosomiasis control measures, with a prevalence of 2.5%. However, the district remains a potential risk area, since it displays favorable environmental and ecological factors for maintenance of the disease. For the prevalence rates to continue low, it will be necessary to invest in sanitation and health education, in addition to treatment of infected individuals.