Urogenital schistosomiasis: prevalence, knowledge and practices among women of reproductive age in Northern Tanzania.

Objective: To determine the prevalence, knowledge and practices regarding urogenital schistosomiasis among women of reproductive age in Kileo Ward, Mwanga District. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in the dispensary in Kileo Village, Mwanga District. A pre-tested structured questionnaire was administered to participants to collect information on sociodemographic characteristics and schistosomiasis-related knowledge and practices. Urine samples were examined for schistosoma eggs using the urine sedimentation technique. Data collected were cleaned, coded and entered into SPSS Version 20 for analysis. Chi-squared test and Fisher's exact test were used for analysis. Results: Overall prevalence of urogenital schistosomiasis was 2.3%. The prevalence was higher among participants aged ≥18 years (3.2%), those who did domestic chores in river water (13.3%), and those who swam in river water (7.1%). Only a few participants had a low level of knowledge (4.8%) and poor practices (1.9%) regarding urogenital schistosomiasis. Conclusion: The transmission of urogenital schistosomiasis was low among women of reproductive age in the study area. Despite a high level of knowledge and good practices for urogenital schistosomiasis, there are knowledge gaps regarding its causes and risk factors.

Urogenital schistosomiasis prevalence, knowledge, practices and compliance to MDA among school-age children in an endemic district, southern East Tanzania.

Background: Tanzania has a high prevalence of urogenital schistosomiasis. Praziquantel is administered to school-age children on an annual basis as part of efforts to reduce transmission and morbidity associated with heavy infections. We investigated the prevalence, knowledge, and practices of urogenital schistosomiasis transmission, as well as compliance with mass drug administration (MDA) among schoolchildren in Masasi District. Materials and methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted in five primary schools. A pre-tested questionnaire was used to assess knowledge and practice related to the transmission of urogenital schistosomiasis, as well as compliance with MDA. Collected urine samples were examined macroscopically for macrohematuria. They were then tested for microhematuria and Schistosoma haematobium (S. haematobium) eggs with urine dipsticks and filtration technique, respectively. Findings: The study included 389 primary school children in total. Overall, 27 (6.9%) of children had S. haematobium infection, and 37 (9.5%) had microhematuria. The mean (SD) intensity was 123.4 (247.4) eggs per 10 ml of urine. A total of 10 (2.6%) had heavy intensity of infection. The majority (94.9%) reported having complied to the previous round of MDA six months prior to this study, and 308 (79.2%) were aware that water contact is associated with an increased risk of urogenital schistosomiasis infection. Nevertheless, 182 (46.8%) of the participants engaged in swimming activities, with 92 (50.9%) of the participants being female. The prevalence of urogenital schistosomiasis was higher (10.9%) among children who participated in swimming activities versus those who did not (3.4%) (P = 0.003). Conclusion: Despite high MDA compliance, urogenital schistosomiasis is still prevalent among primary school children in Masasi District. Children who swim in freshwater bodies such as rivers and ponds are more likely to contract urogenital schistosomiasis.

Lymphatic filariasis elimination status: Wuchereria bancrofti infections in human populations and factors contributing to continued transmission after seven rounds of mass drug administration in Masasi District, Tanzania.

BACKGROUND: Lymphatic filariasis (LF) affects more than 120 million people globally. In Tanzania, nearly six million people are estimated to live with clinical manifestations of the disease. The National LF control program was established in 2000 using Mass drug administration (MDA) of Ivermectin and Albendazole to individuals aged 5years and above. This study assessed the infection status in individuals aged 15 years and above who are eligible for participation in MDA. The level of compliance to MDA and the reasons for non-compliance to MDA were also assessed. METHODS: A community based cross-sectional study was conducted in two villages of Masasi District. A total of 590 participants aged 15 years and above were screened for the circulating filarial antigen (CFA) using the rapid diagnostic test. Night blood samples from CFA positive individuals were further analyzed for detection and quantification of Wuchereria bancrofti microfilaria (Mf) using the counting chamber technique. A pre-tested questionnaire was administered to collect information on compliance to MDA and the factors affecting continued transmission. Data were analyzed using SPSS Version 20. Chi-square test was used to compare the prevalence of CFA by gender and village where a P-value ≤0.05 was considered statistically significant. RESULTS: Out of 590 participants, 30 (5.1%) were positive for CFA and one (0.2%) was found positive for microfilaria of Wuchereria bancrofti. Compliance during the last round of MDA, in the year 2019 was 56% which is below the minimum coverage recommended by WHO. Absence from home during MDA and perceptions of being free from hydrocele or elephantiasis were the major reasons for non-compliance. CONCLUSION: There is a significant decline in LF transmission in Masasi District after seven rounds of MDA. However, the presence of individuals who are persistently non-compliant may delay elimination of LF in the District.

Using pastoralist community knowledge to locate and treat dry-season mosquito breeding habitats with pyriproxyfen to control Anopheles gambiae s.l. and Anopheles funestus s.l. in rural Tanzania.

Fundamentally, larviciding with pyriproxyfen (PPF) has potential to complement Long Lasting Insecticide Nets (LLINs) and indoor residual sprays (IRS) in settings where resistance to pyrethroids and residual malaria transmission exist. In this study, we evaluated the field effectiveness of larviciding using PPF to reduce dry season productivity of mosquito breeding habitats that were located by pastoralists within the study area. Using pastoralist knowledge, dry season breeding habitats in Mofu village rural Tanzania were located and monitored for larval productivity for a period of 8 months before PPF intervention. During the intervention, six out of twelve breeding habitats were treated with Sumilarv 0.5G PPF granules. The impact of deposited PPF was monitored by recording emergence inhibition of larvae collected from treated habitats compared to the appropriate control group for a period of three months and half post-intervention. During baseline, the average proportion (+SD) of adult emerged was similar between two clusters, with (0.89 + 0.22) for the control cluster and (0.93 + 0.16) for the treatment cluster of breeding habitats. Following treatment with PPF, the average proportion (+SD) of adult emerged in the treated breeding habitats was significantly low (0.096 + 0.22) compared to adults that emerged from larvae in the untreated habitats (0.99 + 0.22) (p < 0.0001). Of all emerged adults, approximately 94% were An. gambiae s.l. and the remaining 6% were An. funestus s.l. This is the first study demonstrating the usefulness of engaging pastoralist community to locate and identify hard to find mosquito breeding habitats. Reduced productivity of the targeted habitats with PPF offers prospect of implementing PPF larviciding in dry season when habitats are few and permanent to control mosquito population in rural settings.