Seasonal Pattern and Occurrence of Schistosoma haematobium Egg Excretion among Pregnant Women in Munyenge, South West Region, Cameroon

ABSTRACT

Aim:The aim of this study was to describe temperature, precipitation pattern and the occurrence of maternal urogenital schistosomiasis (UGS) in Munyenge in 2017. Study Design:It was a twelve-month cross-sectional study.Study Site and DurationThe study was carried out in Munyenge from January to December 2017. Materials and Methods:Volunteer pregnant women attending antenatal care clinic were enrolled consecutively on a monthly basis from January to December 2017. A semi-structured questionnaire was used to obtain information on socio-demographic data and water contact behaviour. Urine samples were analysed for presence of microhaematuria and/or Schistosoma haematobiumova using filtration method. Monthly land surface temperature (LST) and precipitation were sourced from MODIS and CHIRPS satellite data respectively. Statistical analyses performed were analysis of variance, student t-test and correlation analysis. Results:The mean annual temperature was 27.18 ± 0.74°C. Monthly temperatures were fairly constant (range 26.12 to 28.82°C). Precipitation varied greatly(range 0.26 -12.75mm) with a mean of 6.58 ± 4.5mm. A marginal negative correlation (r = -0.586; P= .04) was observed between stream usage and precipitation where stream usage reduced with increase in precipitation. Generally, there was high dependence on the stream as source of water (60.9 -90.6%) in the study area. Dependency on the stream was associated (r = 0.603; P= .03) with domestic and bathing activities. The annual prevalence of maternal UGS was 24.1% (77/320) with a high occurrence during the rainy season (16.6%; 53/320) than the dry season (7.5%; 24/320) but the difference was not significant (χ2= 2.26; P= .13). There was no significant difference between months. Conclusion:Our findings show no seasonal variation in the occurrence of maternal UGS in Munyenge. Transmission of infection may be perennia