Spatial and Temporal Distribution of Urinary Schistosomiasis in Nigeria

Uguru Ibor, Federal University Lokoja, Nigeria

Urinary schistosomiasis is one of the prevalent Neglected Tropical Diseases in Nigeria and empirical evidence on the distribution of the disease is limited. This study therefore examined the spatial and temporal pattern of urinary schistosomiasis in Nigeria. Case registry data on schistosomiasis were collected from National Bureau of Statistics for Twenty-four years. The map of Nigeria was produced in ArcGIS using the data of the reported cases for each state. Schistosomiasis prevalence from 1981 to 2004 showed that 499,143 cases were reported. The highest prevalence was in 1983 (41,889 cases), while the lowest was recorded in 2004 (4, 282 cases), which is 89.8 per cent decrease. The northeastern region had the highest prevalence, followed by the northwestern and north-central zones. The regions with the lowest reported cases of schistosomiasis were southwest, south-south and southeast. The study concludes that ongoing interventions are yielding results in lessening the prevalence of urinary schistosomiasis.