Schistosomiasis among pregnant women in rural communities in Nigeria

ObjectiveTo assess the epidemiology of urogenital schistosomiasis among pregnant women in rural communities of southwestern Nigeria.MethodsThe present cross-sectional epidemiologic survey of urogenital schistosomiasis was conducted during 2010–2011 among pregnant women in Yewa North Local Government, Ogun State, Nigeria. The women were microscopically screened for infection with Schistosoma haematobium.ResultsOf 313 volunteer participants, 20.8% tested positive for S. haematobium infection. The prevalence of infection was highest (31.5%) among women aged 20–24 years. The infection intensity did not differ significantly between age groups (t = 1.848, P = 0.71). Primigravidae and women in the first trimester of pregnancy had the highest intensity of infection with 33.1 and 27.7 eggs/10 mL of urine, respectively. There was an association between disease prevalence and parasite intensity across the age groups (χ2 = 68.82, P = 0.02). The prevalence of S. haematobium was not associated with age or pregnancy trimester (P = 0.06), but associations existed between intensity of infection and gravidity (P = 0.001).ConclusionThe prevalence of urogenital schistosomiasis among pregnant women in Nigeria was high, with younger women and primigravidae at the greatest risk. These data can be used to develop a schistosomiasis control program among pregnant women in the study area.