The effects of quarry mining on the epidemiology of Schistosoma haematobium in schoolchildren, in Ishiagu, south-eastern Nigeria

Over the last two decades there has been a noticeable increase in the activities of quarry-mining companies in the Ishiagu area of south-eastern Nigeria. These activities have produced an ever-growing number of abandoned quarry pits that usually quickly fill with water and appear to become suitable...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Annals of tropical medicine and parasitology 2006-03, Vol.100 (2), p.155-161
Main Authors: Nduka, F. O., Etusim, P. E., Nwaugo, V. O., Oguariri, R. M.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescent
Adult
Age Distribution
Animals
Biological and medical sciences
Bulinus
Child
Child, Preschool
Disease Vectors
Diseases caused by trematodes
Female
Helminthic diseases
Humans
Infectious diseases
Male
Medical sciences
Mining
Nigeria - epidemiology
Parasitic diseases
Prevalence
Rural Health
Schistosoma haematobium - isolation & purification
Schistosomiases
Schistosomiasis haematobia - epidemiology
Schistosomiasis haematobia - transmission
Schistosomiasis haematobia - urine
Water - parasitology
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Summary:Over the last two decades there has been a noticeable increase in the activities of quarry-mining companies in the Ishiagu area of south-eastern Nigeria. These activities have produced an ever-growing number of abandoned quarry pits that usually quickly fill with water and appear to become suitable habitats for the freshwater snails that may act as intermediate hosts of Schistosoma haematobium. To examine the potential role of quarry mining on the prevalence of urinary schistosomiasis caused by S. haematobium, urine samples were collected from 1819 schoolchildren in northern Ishiagu (an area with intense mining activities and many quarry pits) and from 252 schoolchildren in southern Ishiagu (an area with no mining activity or quarry pits). When these 2071 samples were checked for schistosome eggs, 1005 (48.5%) were found positive and 252 (25.1%) of the infected children showed visible haematuria. The children from northern Ishiagu were much more likely to be infected than the children from the south (53.3% v. 13.9%; P
ISSN:0003-4983
1364-8594
DOI:10.1179/136485906x78544