Preliminary epidemiological survey of schistosomiasis in central and southern Liberia

Some basic epidemiological data on schistosomiasis in central and southern Liberia were collected. A study of snail density fluctuations was carried out in waterbodies bordering the road between Harbel and Gbarnga. Samples from schoolchildren living in ten selected villages were examined for Schistosoma spp. and other helminths. In the coastal region no snail hosts were found, the prevalence rates in schoolchildren were low and the infections were apparently imported. Inland, the intermediate host of Schistosoma haematobium Bulinus globosus was common and the prevalence of urinary schistosomiasis was high. Further inland, around Gbarnga, both Schistosma mansoni and S. haematobium were endemic. The seasonal patterns of patent cercarial infections in Bulinus globosus and Biomphalaria pfeifferi are described. Both snail densities and cercarial infection rates were markedly reduced by heavy rains. The results of the study may contribute to the planning of future integrated control strategy.