Abundance and Seasonal Variations of Snail Intermediate Host of Schistosomiasis in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja Nigeria

One of the strategies for the control and elimination of Schistosomiasis is the control of its snail vectors in endemic area as done in other tropical diseases like malaria. However, the only strategy currently practiced for the control of the disease in Nigeria is annual mass administration of preventive chemotherapy (Praziquantel) among school age children while neglecting the control of its snail intermediate host and other control components such as Behavioral Change Campaign (BCC) and Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH). The neglect of malacology and the vector control will slow the elimination timeline and targets of 2030 set by WHO. In this study, we investigated the abundance and seasonal variations of the snail vectors of schistosomiasis and the relationship between the disease among humans and infected snail vectors. A total of 21,282 snails were collected from 13 sites across the 6 area councils of the FCT. 1,451 (6.8%) of the collected snails belong to three species; Biomphelaria pfeifferi (113), Bulinus truncatus (451) and Bulinus globosus (887) that are known to be vectors of Schistosoma mansoni, Schistosoma haematobium and Schistosoma bovis respectively. These three species were all shedding cercariae both at the time of collection and afterwards when they were induced to shed cercariae. The presence and shedding of cercaria by the Bullinus and Biomphelaria species in the studied communities indicates potential risk of infection for humans and other animals who may come in contact with the water. Although the presence of these infected snail vectors was established in all the study villages except in Kuje and Pukafa, the relationship between its presence and the prevalence of the disease were not statistically significant. Nonetheless, a deliberate health orientation of the people through sensitization and health education activities, provision of safe adequate water sources and other WASH amenities to reduce exposure to the disease risk factors will contribute towards the reduction or elimination of the disease.