Water Contact Activities and Prevalence of Schistosomiasis Infection among School-age Children in Communities along an Irrigation Scheme in Rural Northern Ghana

Human schistosomiasis, also known as bilharziasis is a complex of acute and chronic parasitic infections caused by mammalian blood flukes belonging to the genus Schistosoma. The disease is endemic in 74 countries with an estimated 200 million people infected, of whom 120 million are symptomatic and 20 million have severe disease. Six hundred million people are at risk of infection [1]. The infection is prevalent in the tropical and sub-tropical areas mainly in poor communities without potable water and adequate sanitation. There are two forms of the disease namely urogenital and intestinal schistosomiasis. Urogenital schistosomiasis is due to Schistosoma haematobium whilst the intestinal form is caused by S. mansoni, S. japonicum, S. mekongi, S. guineensis and S. Intercalatum [2]. People become infected when the larval forms of the parasite (cercariae)-released by freshwater snails-penetrate the skin during contact with infested freshwater.