Schistosomiasis status in urban Sharkia governorate, Egypt: prevalence and intensity of infection

ABSTRACT

This study was implemented in Sharqia Governorate to determine the magnitude of schistosomiasis in urban areas. A multistage sampling technique was utilized to carry out the study. According to the population size, the urban areas of Sharqia Governorate were classified into 2 groups Small sized cities and large sized cities. Two cities were selected randomly from each group. Among the 5012 individuals selected from the 4 cities, 3524 and 3457 individuals gave urine and stool specimens, respectively. An overall prevalence of 6.8% was observed for Schistosoma mansoni [S. mansoni] infection with a geometric mean egg count [GMEC] of 45.8 eggs per gram stool. Only three cases of Schistosoma hematobium were detected. Results of the survey suggested that small sized cities had a significantly higher level of infection than large sized cities. Age and sex related prevalence and intensities showed that the highest rates were noticed among adult males