Use of a Tablet-Based System to Perform Abdominal Ultrasounds in a Field Investigation of Schistosomiasis-Related Morbidity in Western Kenya.

Chronic intestinal schistosomiasis can cause severe hepatosplenic disease and is a neglected tropical disease of public health importance in sub-Saharan Africa, including Kenya. Although the goal of control programs is to reduce morbidity, milestones for program performance focus on reductions in prevalence and intensity of infection, rather than actual measures of morbidity. Using ultrasound to measure hepatosplenic disease severity is an accepted method of determining schistosomiasis-related morbidity; however, ultrasound has not historically been considered a field-deployable tool because of equipment limitations and unavailability of expertise.