A national snail fever prevention group was established Sunday to quell the rebound and rapid spread of schistosomiasis or snail fever.

Headed by Vice-Premier Wu Yi, the group will draft policies and rules for snail fever prevention and co-ordinate related major issues in mobilizing public resources to push forward control of the disease throughout China, Wu said.

Snail fever or schistosomiasis is a chronic illness, resulting from infection of parasitic flatworm, which is carried by freshwater snails.

The disease can cause liver and intestinal damage. Chronic patients can experience high fever, weakness of the limbs and severe stiffness of the joints.

According to Ministry of Health statistics issued in 2002, more than 810,000 Chinese were afflicted with the disease, but the current number might be over 1 million, health officials estimate.

The disease was thought to have disappeared in major parts of China two decades ago, but it has reemerged and has begun to spread quickly in some regions along the Yangtze River following 1998 flooding.

Other regions such as Southwest China's Yunnan and Sichuan provinces also have seen the disease spread.

Snail fever, along with other epidemics such as AIDS, is trending upward in China and will threaten the country's social stability and economy without effective and timely control, medical experts warn.

China established a national AIDS prevention committee late last month.

(China Daily March 1, 2004)