[Schistosomiasis, soil-transmitted helminthiases and sanitation in Latin America and the Caribbean: a systematic reviewRelación entre la prevalencia de esquistosomiasis y geohelmintiasis y las condiciones sanitarias en América Latina y el Caribe: una revisión sistemática]. / Esquistossomose, geo-helmintíases e condições sanitárias na América Latina e Caribe: uma revisão sistemática.

Objective: To investigate the relationship between the prevalence of schistosomiasis and soil-transmitted helminthiasis with variables related to access to water, sanitation and solid waste in Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) countries. Method: A systematic review was performed in the LILACS, PubMed, Web of Science, and SciELO databases. Studies published between 1950 and August 2021, with an ecological design and a focus on population groups (states, municipalities and/or districts), having the prevalence of infection by Schistosoma mansoni, Ancylostoma sp., Necator americanus, Ascaris lumbricoides or Trichuris trichiura as primary variable and access to water, sewage and/or solid waste as explanatory variables were included. Open access articles with full text available in English, Spanish, or Portuguese were considered. The risk of bias and the quality of the studies were assessed according to the Joanna Briggs Institute manual. Results: Of 2 714 articles, nine were eligible, published between 1994 and 2021 and covering 22 LAC countries and 14 350 municipalities. All articles had moderate methodological quality. Environmental variables indicated an association between water supply and solid waste collection with schistosomiasis; water supply with ascariasis, trichuriasis and hookworm; and sewage with ascariasis and hookworm. Except for one article, which had regional coverage for LAC, all the others were developed in Brazil. Conclusion: There is a clear need to expand research on the association between household and collective health conditions and parasitic diseases for all endemic countries in LAC to support environmental strategies to control these diseases.

Objetivo: Investigar la relación entre la prevalencia de esquistosomiasis y geohelmintiasis y las variables de acceso al agua, el saneamiento y el manejo de residuos sólidos en los países de América Latina y el Caribe. Métodos: Se realizó una revisión sistemática en las bases de datos LILACS, PubMed, Web of Science y SciELO. Todos los artículos fueron de calidad metodológica moderada. Se incluyeron estudios publicados entre 1950 y agosto del 2021, con diseño ecológico y atención en agregados demográficos (estados, municipios o distritos), que tuvieran como resultado principal la prevalencia de infección por Schistosoma mansoni, Ancylostoma spp., Necator americanus, Ascaris lumbricoides o Trichuris trichiura y como variable explicativa el acceso al agua, el saneamiento y el manejo de residuos sólidos. Se analizaron artículos de texto completo y acceso libre en español, inglés o portugués. El riesgo de sesgo y la calidad de los estudios se evaluaron según las normas del manual del Instituto Joanna Briggs. Resultados: De los 2 714 artículos, hubo 9 que cumplieron con los requisitos establecidos; estos se publicaron entre 1994 y el 2021 y abarcaron 22 países y 14 350 municipios de América Latina y el Caribe. Las variables ambientales indicaron una relación del abastecimiento de agua y la recolección de residuos sólidos con la esquistosomiasis; del abastecimiento de agua con la ascariasis, la tricuriasis y la anquilostomiasis; y del saneamiento con la ascariasis y la anquilostomiasis. Con excepción de un artículo que abarcó la Región de América Latina y el Caribe, todos los demás se realizaron en Brasil. Conclusiones: Es evidente la necesidad de ampliar las investigaciones sobre la relación entre las condiciones sanitarias domésticas y colectivas y las enfermedades parasitarias en todos los países de América Latina y el Caribe donde son endémicas, con el fin de formular estrategias centradas en el medio ambiente para controlar esas enfermedades.

Combination of conditional cash transfer program and environmental health interventions reduces child mortality: an ecological study of Brazilian municipalities.

BACKGROUND: This study aims to assess the interactive effects of Brazilian public interventions, environmental health programs (access to water, sanitation and solid waste collection) and a Conditional Cash Transfer Program (PBF), on the mortality reduction due to diarrhea and malnutrition among children under 5 years old. METHODS: The study design is ecological, with longitudinal analysis in a balanced panel. The period covered is 2006 to 2016, including 3467 municipalities from all regions of the country, which resulted in 38,137 observations. The generalized linear models were adjusted considering the Negative Binomial (NB) distribution for the number of deaths due to malnutrition and diarrhea, with fixed effects. NB models with and without zero-inflation were assessed. Subsequent interaction models were applied to assess the combined effects of the two public policies. RESULTS: In relation to the decline of mortality rates due to diarrhea in the municipalities, positive effect modification were observed in the presence of: high coverage of the target population by the PBF and access to water, 0.54 (0.28-1.04) / 0.55 (0.29-1.04); high coverage by the total population by the PBF and access to water, 0.97 (0.95-1.00) and high coverage by the total population by the PBF and access to sanitation, 0.98 (0.97-1.00). Decline on diarrhea mortality was also observed in the joint presence of high coverage of solid waste collection and access to water, categories 1 (> 60% ≤85%): 0.98 (0.96-1.00), 0.98 (0.97-1, 00) and 2 (> 85% ≤ 100%): 0.97 (0.95-0.98), 0.97 (0.95-0.99). Negative effect modification were observed for mortality due to malnutrition in the presence of simultaneous high coverage of the total population by the PBF and access to sanitation categories 1 (≥ 20 < 50%): 1.0061 (0.9991-1.0132) and 2 (≥ 50 < 100%): 1.0073 (1.0002-1.0145) and high coverage of the total population by the PBF and solid waste collection, 1.0004 (1.0002-1.0005), resulting in malnutrition mortality rates increase. CONCLUSION: Implementation of environmental health services and the coverage expansion by the PBF may enhance the prevention of early deaths in children under 5 years old due to diarrhea, a poverty related disease.

Explanatory Matrices on the Causes of a Tailing Dam Collapse in Brazil: The (Dis)Articulation of Epistemes.

Mining tailing dam ruptures are increasingly common events in South America. Due to their high potential degree for avoidance, they are considered to be technological disasters and often have a considerable impact on local populations and communities, as well as affecting the ecosystem. The failure of the Fundão dam in 2015 in the Brazilian State of Minas Gerais (is) considered one of the largest socioenvironmental disasters in the country's history. Different explanations for the causes of the disaster were put forward by various social actors. This article critically analyzes these discourses through the theoretical-methodological reference of the social theory of discourse, with the aim of understanding the various discursive contexts of the causes of the breach of the dam. The analysis and understanding of these explanatory matrices suggested that different discourses present different epistemological approaches to the causes of the disaster, related to aspects such as sociohistorical, political, ideological, and asymmetric relations of power. The statements had different emphases, being associated with distinct epistemic positions that were often not in convergence.  Moreover, certain terms and approaches reinforce or minimize processes of vulnerability experienced by the affected populations. These discourses present consents, dissents, and contradictions and when systematically integrated can improve the planning of risk management and broaden the understanding related to technological disaster occurrence.

[Adequate solid waste management as a protection factor against dengue casesGestión adecuada de los residuos sólidos como factor de protección contra los casos de dengue]. / Gestão adequada de resíduos sólidos como fator de proteção na ocorrência da dengue.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate whether solid waste management and municipal socioeconomic indicators are associated with incidence rates of dengue, Zika, and Chikungunya in municipalities located in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil. METHODS: This exploratory, quantitative, cross-sectional study included all the 853 municipalities of Minas Gerais. Only secondary data were used, collected and grouped according to planning regions. Independent variables included regular urban solid waste collection, separated waste collection, and urban solid waste mass, in addition to a quality indicator of final waste disposal, municipal human development and Gini indices, monthly per capita income, and percentage of population vulnerable to poverty. The factors potentially associated with outcomes - municipal incidence of dengue, Chikungunya, and Zika - were initially selected by univariate analysis, followed by linear regression analysis for the incidence of dengue, Chikungunya, or Zika using the predictors selected through univariate analysis. RESULTS: Solid waste management was not associated with incidence of Zika or Chikungunya. In turn, the incidence of dengue was associated with solid waste management and had a significant inverse association with percent population vulnerable to poverty. A direct association was also observed with Gini index, suggesting that the higher the incidence of dengue from 2007 to 2016, the higher the municipal Gini coefficient and thus social inequality. Selective waste collection was inversely and significantly correlated with dengue cases, suggesting that the lower the coverage by regular separated waste collection, the higher the number of dengue cases. CONCLUSIONS: Solid waste management may influence the occurrence of dengue cases, and therefore should be considered in the planning of public health actions.

OBJETIVO: Investigar si el manejo de los residuos sólidos y los indicadores socioeconómicos municipales están asociados con las tasas de incidencia de dengue, zika y chikunguña en los municipios del estado de Minas Gerais, Brasil. MÉTODOS: Estudio exploratorio, cuantitativo y transversal que incluyó los 853 municipios de Minas Gerais. Sólo se utilizaron datos secundarios, recopilados y agrupados según las regiones de planificación. Las variables independientes incluyeron la recolección urbana regular de residuos sólidos, la recolección separada de residuos y la masa de residuos sólidos urbanos, además de un indicador de calidad de la eliminación final de desechos, el desarrollo humano municipal y los índices de Gini, el ingreso mensual per cápita y el porcentaje de población vulnerable a la pobreza. Los factores potencialmente asociados con los resultados ­incidencia municipal de dengue, zika y chikunguña­ se seleccionaron inicialmente mediante un análisis univariado, seguido de un análisis de regresión lineal para la incidencia del dengue, zika o chikunguña utilizando los predictores seleccionados mediante el análisis univariado. RESULTADOS: El manejo de residuos sólidos no se asoció con la incidencia de zika o chikungunya. A su vez, la incidencia del dengue se asoció con un manejo sólido y tuvo una asociación inversa significativa con el porcentaje de población vulnerable a la pobreza. También se observó una asociación directa con el índice de Gini, lo que sugiere que cuanto mayor sea la incidencia del dengue entre 2007 y 2016, mayor será el coeficiente de Gini municipal y, por lo tanto, la desigualdad social. La recolección selectiva de residuos se correlacionó de manera significativa e inversa con los casos de dengue, lo que sugiere que cuanto menor sea la cobertura de la recolección regular selectiva de residuos, mayor será el número de casos de dengue. CONCLUSIONES: La gestión de los residuos sólidos puede influir en la aparición de casos de dengue y, por lo tanto, debe considerarse en la planificación de las medidas de salud pública.

Having a toilet is not enough: the limitations in fulfilling the human rights to water and sanitation in a municipal school in Bahia, Brazil.

BACKGROUND: This article addresses the enjoyment of the human rights to water and sanitation (HRTWS), in particular access to toilets, in a public school in Bahia, Brazil. METHODS: Participant observation of the school's routine, focus groups with students in grades 8 and 9 of primary school (13 to 17 years old) and individual, semi-structured, interviews with members of school staff were applied, exploring access to water and sanitation by adolescent girls and boys. RESULTS: Students and school staff reported that the amount of toilets was insufficient and that their conditions were often inadequate because they were plugged or dirty. The impact on girls is greater as toilets do not offer a clean and healthy environment for menstrual hygiene management. Several elements of the normative content of the HRTWS, especially accessibility, acceptability, quality, safety and dignity, were largely not fulfilled. The study identified that, to comply with the HRTWS, it is necessary to go beyond infrastructure, as the lack of maintenance; cultural elements and student participation hinder the usage of sanitary facilities. Since schools can be privileged spaces to train critical and reflective citizens and to foster autonomy and emancipation, education oriented by human rights and citizenship is an opportunity for a more equitable society. By increasing access to social, economic and cultural rights in all phases and aspects of life, including when children and adolescents are in a school environment, people are able to enjoy better living conditions and a higher standard of health. CONCLUSIONS: The study raised the importance of considering each community's sociocultural aspects in analyzing access to sanitary facilities in schools, which are spaces where citizens' rights should be exercised and fulfilled.

Human rights' interdependence and indivisibility: a glance over the human rights to water and sanitation.

BACKGROUND: In 1948 the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was drawn up. The content of this document was further reflected two treaties, the Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and the Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. To try to maintain the interrelationship between the rights contained in each document, the idea that all rights are interdependent and indivisible was stressed. Based on this vision, this study aimed to explore the extent to which the violation of the human rights to water and sanitation interferes with the guarantee of other rights, addressing the principles of interdependence and indivisibility. METHODS: For that, 24 homeless, in the city of Belo Horizonte, Brazil, were interviewed. Individual and group interviews were carried out in addition to participant observation. The content analysis was used in order to analyze the data collected. RESULTS: The research found that violation of the rights to water and sanitation promotes violation of other rights, such as health and education rights, strengthening the view of rights' interdependence and indivisibility. CONCLUSION: It is important to affirm that the protection of human rights must be consolidated at an operational and normative level, aligned to concepts of indivisibility and interdependence as it has been proposed for approximately seven decades.

Urban Waste Collectors in Belo Horizonte, Brazil: Their Perceptions of Occupational Health Risk.

Frequent contact with hazardous materials makes waste collection a potentially unhealthy activity. This article assesses the perception of waste management workers regarding work-related accidents in domestic and health service contexts in Brazil. Six focus groups were performed between June 2014 and August 2015. The aims of this study were to apprehend different aspects of the participants' health, workers' experiences of work-related accidents and perception of risks. Cuts and puncture injuries were reported most frequently in the line of work and were often considered as irrelevant. Immunization against hepatitis B was not common among all workers, which increases the risk of infection for those individuals. Finally, it is considered urgent to consolidate an inclusive space in which workers can have discussions on their health.

Assessment of work-related accidents associated with waste handling in Belo Horizonte (Brazil).

As more urban solid waste is generated, managing it becomes ever more challenging and the potential impacts on the environment and human health also become greater. Handling waste - including collection, treatment and final disposal - entails risks of work accidents. This article assesses the perception of waste management workers regarding work-related accidents in domestic and health service contexts in Belo Horizonte, Brazil. These perceptions are compared with national data from the Ministry of Social Security on accidents involving workers in solid waste management. A high proportion of accidents involves cuts and puncture injuries; 53.9% among workers exposed to domestic waste and 75% among those exposed to health service waste. Muscular lesions and fractures accounted for 25.7% and 12.5% of accidents, respectively. Data from the Ministry of Social Security diverge from the local survey results, presumably owing to under-reporting, which is frequent in this sector. Greater commitment is needed from managers and supervisory entities to ensure that effective measures are taken to protect workers' health and quality of life. Moreover, workers should defend their right to demand an accurate registry of accidents to complement monitoring performed by health professionals trained in risk identification. This would contribute to the improved recovery of injured workers and would require managers in waste management to prepare effective preventive action.

Seroprevalence of hepatitis B and C among domestic and healthcare waste handlers in Belo Horizonte, Brazil.

Infection with the hepatitis B and C viruses may occur through contact with infected body fluids, including injury with infected sharps. Collectors of domestic or healthcare wastes are potentially exposed to these infections. The aim of this article is to investigate the risk factors associated with the prevalence of hepatitis B and C viruses (HBV and HCV) infection among domestic and healthcare waste workers in Belo Horizonte, Brazil. A cross-sectional study of hepatitis B and C infection was conducted from November 2014 to January 2015, through blood sample collection and interviews about socio-demographic factors with 61 workers exposed to healthcare waste ('exposed') and 461 exposed only to domestic wastes ('unexposed'). The prevalence of antibodies to HCV (Anti-HCV) antibodies was 3.3% in 'exposed' workers and 0.9% in 'unexposed', and of antibody to hepatitis B core antigen (Anti-HBc) was 9.8% and 5.6% in 'exposed' and 'unexposed' workers, respectively. Only 207 (44.9%) of those exposed to domestic waste and 45 (73.8%) of those handling healthcare waste were effectively immunised against hepatitis B virus (HBV). Exposures to domestic waste and to healthcare wastes were associated with similar risks of infection with HBV. The risk of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection was marginally higher among healthcare waste workers compared with domestic waste workers, probably because of needlestick accidents owing to deficient sharps management systems. Immunisation against hepatitis B and screening tests to ensure the success of vaccination should be a condition for recruitment for both groups of waste workers.

Integrating surveillance data on water-related diseases and drinking-water quality; action-research in a Brazilian municipality.

The Brazilian Ministry of Health proposed a research study involving municipal professional staff conducting both epidemiological and water quality surveillance to facilitate the integration of the data which they collected. It aimed to improve the intersectoral collaboration and health promotion activities in the municipalities, especially regarding drinking-water quality. We then conducted a study using the action-research approach. At its evaluation phase, a technique which we called 'the tree analogy' was applied in order to identify both possibilities and challenges related to the proposed interlinkage. Results showed that integrating the two data collection systems cannot be attained without prior institutional adjustments. It suggests therefore the necessity to unravel issues that go beyond the selection and the interrelation of indicators and compatibility of software, to include political, administrative and personal matters. The evaluation process led those involved to re-think their practice by sharing experiences encountered in everyday practice, and formulating constructive criticisms. All this inevitably unleashes a process of empowerment. From this perspective, we have certainly gathered some fruit from the Tree, but not necessarily the most visible.

Perceptions of bottled water consumers in three Brazilian municipalities.

This study presents perceptions of consumers of bottled water in their households in three Brazilian municipalities. Data from interviews were analyzed using the Discourse Collective Subject method. Interviewees spent, on average, the equivalent of 40% of their water bill for the public water supply on the purchase of bottled water. The decision about water consumption in the household was predominantly made by women. Interviewees were particularly concerned with health risks and expressed a strong preference for the safety and organoleptic qualities of bottled water, particularly in cases where the tap water supply did not fully meet the regulated water quality standards. Interviewees were largely unaware of the origin, type, storage, and social and environmental impacts of bottled water. Results highlight the importance of water education efforts among the general population and the key role of women in the processes related to drinking water. The need for gender-specific interventions and the empowerment of women on water issues is noted. Results also strongly support the relevance of ensuring the provision of safe drinking water, from the source to the consumption point, with the trust of consumers.

Water, sanitation and schistosomiasis mansoni: a study based on the Brazilian National Prevalence Survey (2011-2015).

This study aimed to explore the association between water, sanitation, and the prevalence of schistosomiasis mansoni in students aged 7 to 17 years from all 27 federative units in Brazil. It was a cross-sectional study conducted based on data on the prevalence of schistosomiasis mansoni referring to 197,567 students from 521 Brazilian municipalities, who participated in the National Survey on the Prevalence of Schistosomiasis Mansoni and Soil-transmitted Helminth Infections (2011-2015). Univariable and multivariable generalized linear models of the negative binomial type were adjusted using 25 and 5% significance levels, respectively, considering municipalities as the unit of analysis. While a protective association was found between access to filtered water in schools and schistosomiasis mansoni prevalence, sanitation in schools was indicated as a risk factor. The collection of wastewater through a network is not universal in Brazil, and even when present, it is not necessarily carried out by the treatment of collected effluents, thus often resulting in the direct discharge of raw sewage into water resources. Regarding septic tanks, only the presence of infrastructure alone does not guarantee its correct use by the population.

Effect of environmental factors in reducing the prevalence of schistosomiasis in schoolchildren: An analysis of three extensive national prevalence surveys in Brazil (1950-2018).

BACKGROUND: Over seven decades, Brazil has made admirable progress in controlling schistosomiasis, and a frequent question about the explanation for this reduction refers to the effect of improving environmental factors in the country. This article seeks to identify factors related to the change in the epidemiological situation of schistosomiasis mansoni infection by analyzing three national prevalence surveys conducted since 1950. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: This is an ecological study analyzing an unbalanced panel of data based on national surveys and considering the municipality as the unit of analysis. The sample consisted of 1,721 Brazilian municipalities, in which a total of 1,182,339 schoolchildren aged 7-14 were examined during the three periods corresponding to each survey (1947-1953, 1975-1979, and 2010-2015). The percentage of municipalities with zero cases of schistosomiasis was: 45.4%, 54.2% and 73.7%, respectively for those periods. A zero-inflated Poisson regression model, with fixed and random effects, was fitted to assess the association between candidate factors and disease prevalence using a significance level of 5%. There was a significant decrease in disease prevalence between the first and last periods analyzed (RR 0.214, CI 0.184-0.249), with a protective association with access to sanitation (RR 0.996, CI 0.994-0.998), urbanization (RR 0.991, CI 0.989-0.993), and living in own households (RR 0.986, CI 0.983-0.989); and an inverse association with piped water supply (RR 1.010, CI 1.008-1.011). CONCLUSION: The findings of this study indicate a decrease in the prevalence of schistosomiasis over seven decades in schoolchildren from the analyzed Brazilian municipalities, associated with environmental factors and social conditions. The increased access to piped water in the municipalities apparently triggers other ways of contact with unsafe water bodies, generating new transmission routes and suggesting the need for a systemic approach concerning contact with water.

Changes in access to water and incidence of waterborne diseases after the Vale dam collapse in Brumadinho (MG), Brazil.

OBJECTIVE: To describe, within the Human Rights to Water and Sanitation (HRWS) framework, the access to water supply services and the incidence of waterborne diseases in the communities affected by the dam disaster in Brumadinho (MG), Brazil. METHODS: A quantitative and qualitative methodology was used, having as variables information on access to water supply services and waterborne diseases. The primary data were extracted from the "Brumadinho Health Project", using a sample stratum with 981 people interviewed, totaling 92.5% of the eligible population in the affected communities of Córrego do Feijão and Parque da Cachoeira. The secondary data from Brumadinho was extracted from the project "Sanitation conditions and the River Basin of the B1 River Basin of Mineradora Vale between 2017 and 2020", available in public databases between 2017 and 2020, and qualitative data was collected in 2022 through individual interviews with health professional also live in the communities. RESULTS: With regard to access to water supply services, the results of this combined data analysis indicate that the HRWS is being neglected, especially with regard to availability, accessibility, acceptability and quality of water. The study also shows a significant increase in the incidence of waterborne diseases in the region after the disaster. CONCLUSION: It is necessary to use the HRWS as the basis to the implementation of public policies aiming to reduce vulnerability in access to water supply services.

Sewerage as a protective factor for prevalence of hookworm infection in schoolchildren in Brazil: A multilevel ecological analysis of national prevalence surveys (1950-2018).

INTRODUCTION: The prevalence of hookworm infection in Brazil has decreased considerably in recent decades. However, there is no definitive consensus as to which changes have contributed to this reduction. A hypothesis is that improvements in environmental factors have contributed to lowering the parasite load and the level of host-parasite contact. METHODS: This is an ecological study using unbalanced panel data from two Brazilian surveys (1947-1953 and 2010-2015), with municipalities as the analysis unit. The sample comprised 1428 municipalities, in which a total of 745,983 schoolchildren aged 7 to 14 were examined. Zero-inflated Poisson regression models, with fixed and random effects were estimated to evaluate the association of potential explanatory variables with the prevalence of hookworm infection at a significance level of 5 %. RESULTS: We identified a significant decrease in the prevalence between the first and last analyzed periods (RR 0.096; CI 0.086-0.107); The following variables were found to have a protective effect: access to sanitary sewage systems (RR 0.984, CI 0.982-0.986), urbanization (RR 0.995, CI 0.993-0.997), and gross domestic product (RR 0.929, CI 0.912-0.945). CONCLUSION: The findings of this study show a decrease in the prevalence of hookworm infections over six decades in schoolchildren in the Brazilian municipalities. Environmental, demographic, and economic factors were associated with this trend. A historical analysis indicates that interventions aimed at improving sanitation contributed to reducing the disease prevalence.

FioSchisto's expert perspective on implementing WHO guidelines for schistosomiasis control and transmission elimination in Brazil.

The World Health Organization (WHO) recognizes schistosomiasis as one of the Neglected Tropical Diseases targeted for global elimination in the 2030 Agenda of the Sustainable Development Goals. In Brazil, schistosomiasis mansoni is considered a public health problem, particularly prevalent among vulnerable populations living in areas with poor environmental and sanitary conditions. In 2022, the WHO published a Guideline encompassing recommendations to assist national programs in endemic countries in achieving morbidity control, eliminating schistosomiasis as a public health problem, and advancing towards interrupting transmission. The perspectives presented here, collectively prepared by members of the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation's (Fiocruz) Schistosomiasis Translational Program (FioSchisto), along with invited experts, examine the feasibility of the WHO recommendations for the Brazilian settings, providing appropriate recommendations for public health policies applicable to the epidemiological reality of Brazil, and suggests future research to address relevant issues. In Brazil, the provision of safe water and sanitation should be the key action to achieve schistosomiasis elimination goals. The agencies involved in measures implementation should act together with the Primary Care teams for planning, executing, monitoring, and evaluating actions in priority municipalities based on their epidemiological indicators. Host snails control should prioritize judicious ecological interventions at breeding sites. The Information, Education, and Communication (IEC) strategy should be associated with water and sanitation and other control actions, actively involving school community. To identify infected carriers, FioSchisto recommends a two-stage approach of immunological and molecular tests to verify transmission interruption during the intervention and beyond. Praziquantel administration should be done under medical supervision at the Primary Care level. MDA should be considered in exceptional settings, as a measure of initial attack strategy in locations presenting high endemicity, always integrated with water and sanitation, IEC, and snail control. To assist decision-making, as well as the monitoring and evaluation of strategic actions, there is a need for an Information System. FioSchisto considers this systematization essential to make investments in strategic research to support the improvement of schistosomiasis control actions. Efforts toward schistosomiasis elimination in Brazil will succeed with a paradigm shift from the vertical prescriptive framework to a community-centered approach involving intersectoral and interdisciplinary collaboration.