Goal and objectives of the guideline The goal of this guideline is to provide evidence-based recommendations to countries in their efforts to accomplish schistosomiasis morbidity control and elimination as a public health problem, and to move towards interruption of transmission. The recommendations contained herein will help countries to implement national schistosomiasis control and elimination programmes and support efforts to verify the interruption of transmission. The specific objectives are to provide guidance on: ƒ prevalence thresholds, target age groups and frequency of preventive chemotherapy for schistosomiasis; ƒ establishment of water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) and snail control activities to support control and elimination of schistosomiasis; ƒ use of diagnostic tests in humans in low transmission areas and for moving to, and evaluating the interruption of transmission of schistosomiasis; ƒ tools for the assessment of Schistosoma spp. infection in snail hosts; and ƒ diagnostic tests for the assessment of schistosomiasis infection in animal reservoirs of infection