High prevalence of urinary schistosomiasis in a desert population: results from an exploratory study around the Ounianga lakes in Chad.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Researching a water-borne disease in the middle of the Sahara desert might not seem the most relevant concern. However, nomadic Sahelian pastoralists health concerns regarding their livestock and anecdotal reports about trematode infections of Fasciola spp. and Schistosoma spp. in desert-raised animals justified an exploratory study focusing on the lakes of Ounianga in Northern Chad. The aim was to test whether trematode parasites such as Schistosoma spp. occur in human populations living around the Sahara desert lakes of Ounianga Kebir and Ounianga Serir in northern Chad.

Methods

The study was carried out in January 2019 and comprised of three components. First, a cross sectional survey based on a random sample drawn from the population to detect infections with

SUBMITTER: Moser W 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8740043 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature