Association of schistosomiasis prevalence with socio-demographic status measures in sub-saharan Africa.

Schistosomiasis is a water-borne parasitic disease that affects most tropical regions. It is caused by infection with parasitic worms of the genus Schistosoma and poses a big public health threat to affected communities and individuals. More than 200 million people are infected worldwide, and 85 percent of the burden is concentrated in sub -Saharan Africa. It is important to recognize the risk factors which favor development of infection and to focus on countries which are at high risk.In this thesis, sub- Saharan African (SSA) countries with high prevalence of schistosomiasis infection (living in endemic areas) were identified. Risk factors were also identified and their association with schistosomiasis prevalence was assessed. The results indicate that high literacy rates are associated with low schistosomiasis infection rates. Such results are of great public health significance because neglected tropical diseases like schistosomiasis could be prevented by increasing literacy in at- risk populations.